[Your Nightmare]

Does that mean that someone is going to answer this simple question: why donÂ’t the flat taxers get together and decide on a specific proposal, get that plan into congress and start working to get people behind it?

Yeah, how's that been working out for the FairTax? Going good?

Last I heard it was the same place it's been for the last 10 years—dead in committee.

As long as the flat taxers just support “the flat tax” generically, it isn’t going anywhere.

There will not be fundamental tax reform until you have a president willing to get behind it. Bush just gave it lip service. To think that it's an advantage to have a specific bill at this stage in the game is silly.

The FairTax supporters actually make fundamental tax reform much less likely by fanatically pushing an option that is never going to happen. They suck all the oxygen out of room and stifle any debate of realistic options.

[phil_will1]

“Last I heard it was the same place it’s been for the last 10 years—dead in committee.”

Last I heard it had close to 70 co-sponsors, which is far more than any other tax reform proposal.

“The FairTax supporters actually make fundamental tax reform much less likely by fanatically pushing an option that is never going to happen. They suck all the oxygen out of room and stifle any debate of realistic options.”

It’s a free country. Flat taxers have every right to promote their plan whenever and wherever they please. I think it’s a total cop-out to suggest that the reason the flat tax isn’t going anywhere is because of the FairTax. That would be like NY Yankee fans saying they could have made it to the World Series if not for those darned Red Sox.

I have never stifled any real debate, but I don’t see how you can even have a constructive debate when one side refuses to even take a specific position and all they do is attack the other side.

[xcamel]

Well put.

[phil_will1]

“There will not be fundamental tax reform until you have a president willing to get behind it.”

And I don’t think we will see a President making tax reform a priority unless and until enough Americans decide that it is a major public policy issue. Politicians have a finite amount of political capital. A President can’t get it done without the cooperation of congress, which will only happen if congress members believe it is in their best interest to work on the issue.

The fact that Huckabee made it a cornerstone of his campaign is encouraging in that regard. He definitely thinks that it has been a net positive for his campaign. If that perception spreads, then the momentum of the FT will continue to grow.