I've been reading the political thread for a long time and I am regularly impressed by the quality of many posts. Some of the regular contributors are paragons of 21st century intelligence - they know right where to go to access significant information then pull it together into comprehensive summaries and cogent arguments. Watching the give and take of posters like Villages Kahuna and Bucco in the current thread "A Little Income Tax History" is a good example.

The political thread is also full of emotion. Not as much now as during the recent campaign, but still the passion is obvious. Many of the posters hold their beliefs so dear that they can't help taking offense at diverging views. That's why I have rarely contributed. I'd rather not offend anyone, and I certainly don't enjoy getting blasted.

But as I keep reading, there are some things I just can't figure out. For example, how do people arrive at the positions they hold so dear?

Bucco finished one of his posts on the Income Tax thread this way:
"In addition I just find it offensive AND bad economics to go after the "rich" to fund the "poor". It's like calling a class war".

A study of history shows that the fundamental cause of class wars, revolutions and societal collapses was the too large gap that existed between the rich and the poor (or, the powerful and the weak). And the gap always grows when it is unchecked. Our not yet failed democracy exists and has thrived because of the emphasis on striving for equality. In economic terms that means employing mechanisms to redistribute wealth, which we've been engaged in since the birth of the republic. In the tough times those more fortunate have paid more to assist the less fortunate. The result is the most prosperous society ever, and the ability to absorb millions of new citizens into an environment where they are free and have a chance. We can and should wrestle forever about the details, but the concept remains intact. I just can't understand how the concept can be offensive. It's a fundamental tenet of the American experiment.