Obama: Tax cuts are "gifts"

The President brought up this idea that tax cuts need to be paid for today, but he also said something even more revealing and outrageous. When discussing the idea of extending the tax cuts for those making more than $250K (married)/$200K (single), he said that "we can't give $700 billion away to some of America's wealthiest people."

So not only do lower taxes need to be "paid for", we really should look at any tax cut as a gift. It really does sound to me like he believes that all income and wealth produced in an economy is by default property of the government.

Which brings me to another point. Many on our side are pointing out that raising taxes in a recession is bad economic policy. It is, but is that really the point? Doesn't that imply that it is okay to raise taxes when times are good?

This discussion and debate needs to be framed not it terms of "not raising taxes in a recession", it needs to be framed in terms of property rights. If there was ever a time the American people might be willing to hear such an argument, it might be now.