I must say this is the first interesting primaries season I can remember, and it is as gripping as one of those slick American series like West Wing. Three Republicans and two Democrats seem serious possible victors.
A while back I wrote that two of the Republican candidates, Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney, were mad. I meant for their religious beliefs (creationist and mormon respectively) but now some people are describing Huckabee's economic policy as mad , too. It is to replace income tax with a sales tax, coupled with a spot of negative income tax (that is to say that if your income is below a certain level you get a rebate).
I have been saying this for years, although I never believed you could get rid of income tax competely - the rich would have to pay something and some of the poor would have to receive a lot. All that would happen is the Government imposed a minimum wage - not forcing employers to pay it, which causes unemployment - but a level below which you receive money and above which you pay it. Most of the taxes would be collected by shopkeepers as a sales tax.
Perhaps Huckabee's not mad after all. Oh,yes... the creationism.
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