Why Raise Taxes?
19 February 2007
Editor, The Washington Post
1150 15th St., NW
Washington, DC 20071
Dear Editor:
Even if Sebastian Mallaby is right that government programs - such as efforts to retrain workers - are justified as the price to pay to weaken political resistance to freer trade, he's wrong to argue that these programs must be funded by higher taxes ("Matching Free Trade With Taxes," Feb. 19).
Uncle Sam today takes from Americans' pockets more than $2.5 trillion per year. In real dollar terms, this sum is 50 percent higher than what Bill Clinton's government took during its first year in office and 25 percent higher than what George W. Bush's government took during its first year. Surely, Uncle Sam already has on hand more than sufficient funds to pay for whatever programs are needed to mute opposition to trade.
Sincerely,
Donald J. Boudreaux
Chairman, Department of Economics
George Mason University
Editor, The Washington Post
1150 15th St., NW
Washington, DC 20071
Dear Editor:
Even if Sebastian Mallaby is right that government programs - such as efforts to retrain workers - are justified as the price to pay to weaken political resistance to freer trade, he's wrong to argue that these programs must be funded by higher taxes ("Matching Free Trade With Taxes," Feb. 19).
Uncle Sam today takes from Americans' pockets more than $2.5 trillion per year. In real dollar terms, this sum is 50 percent higher than what Bill Clinton's government took during its first year in office and 25 percent higher than what George W. Bush's government took during its first year. Surely, Uncle Sam already has on hand more than sufficient funds to pay for whatever programs are needed to mute opposition to trade.
Sincerely,
Donald J. Boudreaux
Chairman, Department of Economics
George Mason University
Posted by Don Boudreaux on
Monday October 22, 2007 at 9:04am