Though I agree with his broad thesis, I was confused by his description of raising taxes an inescapable political fact. He discussed, naturally, Bush I’s and Bill Clinton’s tax hikes, but he then said, “Politicians from Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and Bill Clinton have realized that you have to pay for your programs.” (I paraphrase.) I have never before heard about any Reagan tax policy to increase taxes, and his cheif claim to fame is rolling back taxes and decreasing the size of the government. As the journalist never actually says “raised taxes,” he may have been insinuating that Reagan’s policies indirectly raised revenue, which has the similar end effect as the policies of Bush I and Clinton. This is a daring rhetorical manuever. Again, I agree with the broad point, but asserting that raising taxes is so natural that even Reagan did it comes across almost insidiously. On the other hand, I am not familiar with the intricacies of Reagan’s tax policy, so is there something I’m not aware of? Even if so, raising taxes is never a simple political manuever.
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