Economists Gary and Aldona Robbins argue that the trend in creeping rates among the top income classes parallels the pattern that began to appear in the mid-'60s. Although the signs look good now, everything could change if Alan Greenspan's crystal ball were to fog up for a few months. The tidal shift in taxpaying responsibilities, coupled with jitters about economy, virtually ensures that campaign finance reform will die, and soon. This leads to a final and little-appreciated point. A nation divided into taxpayers and tax consumers is an insane idea.
Government requires more than our money.
It requires a sense of national unity. You don't get that when you sever the country into patrons and supplicants. At some point, the taxpaying classes will demand a greater say in the use of tax dollars, arguing that freeloaders shouldn't have any say in the budget debate. Critics in turn will accuse the moguls of ruining democracy. But it's also a sure way to promote profligacy and hard feelings.