Since I actually thought about taxes the other day, I’ve happened across a fair amount of articles that talk about taxes, especially graduated income taxes, mostly framed around McCain calling Obama a socialist.  Just a few things.

First, from Slate, quoting Teddy Roosevelt:

We grudge no man a fortune in civil life if it is honorably obtained and well used. It is not even enough that it should have been gained without doing damage to the community. We should permit it to be gained only so long as the gaining represents benefit to the community. … The really big fortune, the swollen fortune, by the mere fact of its size, acquires qualities which differentiate it in kind as well as in degree from what is possessed by men of relatively small means. Therefore, I believe in a graduated income tax on big fortunes, and … a graduated inheritance tax on big fortunes, properly safeguarded against evasion, and increasing rapidly in amount with the size of the estate.

…

John McCain, meanwhile, would have to stop saying that Teddy Roosevelt is his hero, because the passage quoted above is from T.R.’s “New Nationalism” speech of 1910. Either that, or McCain would have to quit calling Barack Obama a socialist.

…

“Here’s what I really believe,” McCain said. “When you are—reach a certain level of comfort, there’s nothing wrong with paying somewhat more.”

Then, from the New Yorker, quoting Adam Smith:

The necessaries of life occasion the great expense of the poor. . . . The luxuries and vanities of life occasion the principal expense of the rich, and a magnificent house embellishes and sets off to the best advantage all the other luxuries and vanities which they possess. . . . 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.

Basically, the more I think about it, the more fair a progressive tax seems to me, as annoying as it is.  It’s not the part of my utopia, but a reasonable compromise.  Of course, there’s still the issue of how the taxes are spent, but that’s another story.  I think it would be interesting if each year, we took an estimate of the federal budget, an estimate of how much money a person would make, and we would pay the exact amount of taxes to correspond with how much we made and where we ranked nationally.   It could be a point of pride amongst the wealthy.

(It strikes me that reading both Slate and the New Yorker might be a bit redundant.  Also, I think I left my copy of this weeks NY at the Y.  I’m almost positive it will still be there, likely untouched.  I actually saw dudes at the gym reading People and US.  Awesome.)