Palin’s Kind of Patriotism

Tom Friedman, who sometimes Sees the Light:

Criticizing Sarah Palin is truly shooting fish in a barrel. But given the huge attention she is getting, you can’t just ignore what she has to say. And there was one thing she said in the debate with Joe Biden that really sticks in my craw. It was when she turned to Biden and declared: “You said recently that higher taxes or asking for higher taxes or paying higher taxes is patriotic. In the middle class of America, which is where Todd and I have been all of our lives, that’s not patriotic.”

"We all have to ... pay our fair share, but we must insist that our government be wise and honest in spending our money."

What an awful statement. Palin defended the government’s $700 billion rescue plan. She defended the surge in Iraq, where her own son is now serving. She defended sending more troops to Afghanistan. And yet, at the same time, she declared that Americans who pay their fair share of taxes to support all those government-led endeavors should not be considered patriotic.

I only wish she had been asked: “Governor Palin, if paying taxes is not considered patriotic in your neighborhood, who is going to pay for the body armor that will protect your son in Iraq? Who is going to pay for the bailout you endorsed? If it isn’t from tax revenues, there are only two ways to pay for those big projects — printing more money or borrowing more money. Do you think borrowing money from China is more patriotic than raising it in taxes from Americans?” That is not putting America first. That is selling America first.

As long as the rich get richer, I think she's fine with it.

I've been paying taxes since before McBimbo was born. I don't particularly like it, but it's the Federal equivalent of buying a lunch room pass from bullies - pay up or get beat up - to wit, cough it up or lose everything you've got and go to jail.

So how d'ya think all them back taxes you owe is gonna work out for ya, Moosebreath?

My taxes seldom go for very much that I would like them to but that's the way it is and I have no say in it. All I hope in return for myself is that the fire department will show up if I need them.