With Friends Like This (Part III) . . .

Obama may wish that people stop trying to help him, particularly his Vice President. With Al Sharpton and Castro (here) endorsing his health care plan as a victory of socialism, Obama is insisting that this is not a wealth redistribution system. Now, Joe Biden has triggered another firestorm with comments that seem to agree that Obama is actively redistributing the wealth. I doubt this is the debate that the White House wants to have in the wake of the health care passage.

In the latest interview, Biden states “If you call that a ‘redistribution of income’ — well, so be it. I don’t call it that. I call it just being fair — giving the middle class taxpayers an even break that the wealthy have been getting.”

American policy has long rejected redistribution of income as a goal, particularly in tax policy. There is no question that all taxes are likely to have redistributive effects. However, here Biden is saying that redistribution is a purpose. Once again, Biden may be credited with simply being honest (a trait I admire).

Here is the question for the day: should redistribution of wealth be an active goal to shift money from the upper to the middle classes?