Democrats Hit The Books

by George Will - October 7th, 2007 - Townhall.com

"Were the expense of war to be defrayed always by a revenue raised within the year ... wars would in general be more speedily concluded, and less wantonly undertaken." -- Adam Smith, "The Wealth of Nations"

WASHINGTON -- Evidence that a Democrat has read Smith's great treatise against meddlesome government is as gratifying as it is startling. But perhaps there the evidence was last week, when Wisconsin Democrat David Obey proposed a $150 billion war surtax on incomes, ranging from 2 percent to 15 percent.

Democratic leaders, leery of making their itch to raise taxes even more conspicuous, reacted to Obey's idea the way vampires react to garlic.

There are times when George Will gets his satire just right and makes me smile. At least he is pointing out here in a humorous fashion one of the problems fiscal conservatives have with George W. Bush. Bush is not just trying to fight this war on the cheap, risking a great deal in the process. He is also failing to pay for the war as he goes. At least one Democrat is pointing out how this violates what we Republicans have long claimed to believe.

George W. Bush has refused to ask the American people to sacrifice for this war. I think he believes that asking for sacrifice would end the war. I would hope he is wrong, but if not, then America is doomed anyway. What is annoying to me is that Bush will not ask.

Will points that out by talking about a Democrat, David Obey , who is asking that America either pay the price of this war and sacrifice now, or admit we are only willing to borrow and let the next generation pay for it.