EDITORIAL: Today it's AIG ... ... and tomorrow Congress may be coming after you

The Washington Times ^ | March 25, 2009 | Editorial

[Scanian]

The power to tax is the power to destroy, and when Congress decides to tax 90 percent of anything it is sowing the seeds of destruction. HR 1586, which passed in the House with lightning speed and bipartisan support, seeks to tax away the bonuses paid to AIG executives and others whose corporations have benefited from TARP funds. The Senate, a more deliberative body, is more sanguine on proceeding with its version, S 651, which is broader, covering businesses that received much less government cash, but at a lower 35 percent rate. Finance Chairman Max Baucus, Montana Democrat, said the Senate version was on cold ice "for the time being. But I don't know how long 'the time being' lasts," the senator said Tuesday. "It may be a short time. Basically, it's because there are a lot of ideas."

The best idea would be to think about it a good bit more. The electorate is rightly outraged at what appears to be a looting of public coffers, but this legislation has all the elements of an unconstitutional bill of attainder, which raises an uncomfortable question: Who is next?

[Roamin53]

If they get away with this Bill of Attainder, you can be assured there will be more...but they will just call it progressive taxation.

[G-Man 1]

They wont to bail out the news papers, but they are already owned by the left.

[ninonitti]

They call them fees, fines and tolls in Taxachusetts.

[Le Chien Rouge]

If they get away with this Bill of Attainder, you can be assured there will be more...but they will just call it progressive taxation.

Agreed.

Many of the sheeple will nod their head in approval.

[ripley]

“...and tomorrow congress may be coming after you.”

Correction: “...and tomorrow the comintern may be coming after you.”

IMHO

[bitterohiogunclinger]

Any politician that voted for this scheme must be removed from office. We may not be able to wait until 2010. Impeach Obama now, start recall petitions. Revolt against these revolting idiots before they destroy us.

[CaptainAmiigaf]

Free Republic as a health miracle..
This morning I awoke suffering the effects of very low blood pressure. Frightened, I made my way to my computer and pushed “ON” and waited, in fear, for it to boot up. In reflex I clicked onto FREE REPUBLIC and began to read.
AIG, TAXES, CENSUS, AIG, POLITICS, I read more posts and could feel my blood pressure RISING and RISING.
GUN CONTROL, OBAMA, BLAGO, higher and higher until I was able to jump up and take my DAILY pills to counteract my NORMAL elevated blood pressure.
I hope most FREEPERS get my point.
There are days when scanning FR could revive the dead.

[wny]

The federal government knowingly and deliberately whips up anger and hate directed at a specific yet easily expanded group, based on the actions sanctioned by the very same government. The official state media dutifully follows along, ratcheting up the hate-filled, hysterical class warfare. The ignorant masses grab their pitchforks and torches. The targets are threatened with bodily harm and death. Thugs show up at their houses to intimidate them. The legislature passes punitive legislation to persecute individuals of the target group. The justice department threatens to release names and addresses, so the thugs can plan their days. Public officials blame the victims of this hate fest. Sounds like the beginning of Kristallnacht to me. All we need are some shattered windows.

These people are disgusting.