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From: berman@psuvax1.UUCP (Piotr Berman)
Newsgroups: talk.politics.misc
Subject: Re: Sincerest Form of Flattery
Message-ID: <2281@psuvax1.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 16-Sep-86 10:33:36 EDT
Article-I.D.: psuvax1.2281
Posted: Tue Sep 16 10:33:36 1986
Date-Received: Fri, 19-Sep-86 07:28:09 EDT
References: <7802356@inmet>
Organization: Pennsylvania State Univ.
Lines: 19

> The finance ministers of Belgium and West Germany say their
> governments are planning tax reforms on the model of the
> U.S.  bill - to make their tax systems less progressive.
> 
> Doesn't, though, progressive == good ?
> Well, think of progressive paralysis...

Do not be silly, Jan.  The joke about paralysis is probably
60 years old, and, parhaps, still funny.

With your line of the argument, we should not eat because food in
excessive quantities causes obesity and other disorders.  

Similarly, there are many ideas which are reasonable in the tax
codes - like progressiveness and tax incentives.  Apparently, they 
behave like salt and sugar in a soup: while a dash of one and a 
spoon of another improve the taste, excessive amounts do not.

Piotr Berman