Democrats Propose Iraq War Tax

This was on most of the tv news and radio talk shows yesterday, so if you're a newsphile like me you've already heard it. For those who havent, or who want to kvetch about it in the comments, House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey has proposed a war surtax so that everyone will have to "sacrifice for the war." He was backed up by Jim McGovern and John Murtha.

"If this war is important enough to fight, it's important enough to pay for. If you don't like the cost, shut down the war," he said, noting the United States spends $10 billion a month on Iraq.

Less radical Democrats immediately freaked. Nancy Pelosi said that no such tax will happen and Harry Reid said the Senate would not be considering it.

Even Charlie "Let's Bring Back The Draft" Rangel was against it, although he did get a little tripped up by reporters who are pissed that they have to pay more for smokes:

“Politically it’s the third rail,” House Ways and Means Committee chairman Charles Rangel, D-N.Y. told reporters late Tuesday. ... “Don’t even use that ‘T’ word.”

What goes to the president’s desk for signature will be determined by what Republican senators will allow to get past the 60-vote threshold, Rangel said, implying that the initiative must come from them. Referring to a possible tax increase he said, “I want to leave it alone.”

But, one reporter asked Rangel, just last week hadn’t the House voted to raise taxes on smokers? Wasn’t that tax increase? “The SCHIP bill was a bill for the children,” he said.

posted by Gabriel Malor at 11:21 AM

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