The progressive (termed because your tax rate progresses with your income) tax system has been around in the US since the 16th amendment was passed in 1913. In fact it only targeted the wealthy.
By 1913, 36 States had ratified the 16th Amendment to the Constitution. In October, Congress passed a new income tax law with rates beginning at 1 percent and rising to 7 percent for taxpayers with income in excess of $500,000. Less than 1 percent of the population paid income tax at the time. Form 1040 was introduced as the standard tax reporting form and, though changed in many ways over the years, remains in use today.
xxxhttp://www.ustreas.gov/education/fact-sheets/taxes/ustax.shtml
Today republicans are complaining that 40% of people in the US end paying no income taxes because they make too little. So today 60 times as many American by percant/per capita pay income taxes than when first enacted.
Does that sound like socialism to anyone else?
This is not a new issue, it’s not even an issue, since Obama only plans on changing/raising the top rate. The fact that he wants to make cut taxes for people in lower brackets instead of McCain’s focus on the top bracket is just as socialist as McCain’s tax cuts are the support of feudalism.
It’s fair to ask if Obama is pushing for anything that is different from what the democrats have done for the last 50 years or change the basic tenants of the tax laws that have bee around for 95 years. I certainly don’t think there is anything new on the tax/social front for Obama that is different than Clinton. Unfortunately for McCain, given Bush’s double of the national debt, McCain looks irresponsible arguing that more tax cuts for the rich and more debt for the government is a good thing.