Over the last couple days, a few people have written diaries on the Federal Tax Reform proposed by the "President's Advisory Panel".  They haven't got a whole lot of attention, and given yesterday's democratic rebirth, its not surprising. I originally wrote this as a comment attached to one of the diaries yesterday, and it was off the board by the time it was finished. But there are some meaninful political issues within these proposed changes that require some analysis.

The whole report can be viewed here in a series of pdf files.

There are two different proposals that have been made, one entitled the "Simplified Income Tax Plan" and one the "Growth and Investment Tax Plan". They're similar in many areas. Where they're different, I've attempted to identify the difference, and added some analysis to most sections.

Once again, the Bush administration has elected to assume the electorates disconnect from reality matches their own. From yesterday's White House press briefing

I was going to just end it there. Nuff said. But there's that pesky minimum word thing for diaries. So a little rambling is in order. While I'm at it, we can add "promote the general welfare".

Our constitution is a great thing. With all due respect to the magna carta, it may be the most divine thing written by man in 2,000 years. Which is why Armando's analyses are always exciting to read.

The genesis of this post are the positions I've heard spouted over the last few days that the federal government owes nothing to the people who's lives have been destroyed over the last few days. That it owed them nothing to keep them safe before, and owes them nothing to rebuild their cities. Their lives.

I can't presume to know how Cindy Sheehan feels.  I'm a parent. I have one that left for college a year ago, and another that will a year from now. But they're both still alive. I've lost a parent who I was very close with. But that's not a child. I can't imagine the pain of losing a child. I don't even think I have a frame of reference for the grief she has. The grief any parent would know at the loss of a child.

Vengeance is the most eternal grief. I haven't seen vengeance from her. I've seen anger, and compassion  and grace. She's entitled to her anger. She has articulated it far better than I could dare to do. She has shown her compassion and grace in asking, demanding answers to questions that will never bring her son back. That's not possible. She has laid herself out, for the entire world to see. Laid herself out for the most vile of ridicule. And the only possible benefit she will get is the knowledge that somehow, some way, what she is doing may save a life. It may spare another parent, or spouse, or child the grief she knows. For their good, not hers. For the good of the country.

It's time for real radicals to step forward.

It's time for progressives to learn to be radical.

Senator Feingold is not radical enough. Don't get me wrong, he's headed in the right direction, but there are hundreds of other congressmen that need our help.