Patrick McIlheran has a problem with Adam Smith

In his Sunday column, Patrick McIlheran raised a puerile question:

“By what right do progressives think they can decide who's got too much money? Where do they get off thinking they can remedially confiscate it?”

Folkbum answered it, smartly, but Patrick McIlheran continued to whinge on about immoral "looting" of the rich and whatnot.

Thing is, Adam Smith, the original observer and theorist of capitalism, quite early on said that progressive taxation made sense:

“It is not very unreasonable that the rich should contribute to the public expense, not only in proportion to their revenue, but something more than in that proportion.” 

Now, Patrick McIlheran may cry and moan that progressive taxation is immoral (a position in which he will find himself quite lonely) or economically deleterious (a position he would find extremely difficult to defend). But there are ample reasons for why progressives support progressive taxation -- shoot, Teddy Roosevelt supported progressive taxation. It's up to him to seriously engage with those positions. But it is far easier to moan about "looting."

Comments

[LiberalsAreStupid]

Wow.

You can't even be original on your own blog.

You just keep chasing your own tail.

The only question I have is; are you smart enough to not bite it?