Taxes

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/17/opinion/a-republican-talks-sense-on-taxes.html?scp=5&sq=taxes&st=cse

Summary:
Diverting from the Republican norm of proposing tax cuts for the wealthy, Republican Representative Rick Crawford from Arkansas has instead, proposed a tax increase. Crawford has expressed his opinion that to reduce the federal deficit, not only should federal spending be cut but revenue tax should also increase for those with annual income over one million. Though his action might be primarily targeted to win votes as he faces stark competition from Democrats, he was condemned by Grover Norquist, a fellow Republican, who claimes that he betrayed the no-new-tax pledge. So far, Crawford is the only Republican who has supported tax increase for the rich.

Connection
The Republican party is associated with being a proponent of spending within budget but only at the cost of spending cuts rather than through tax increases. Moreover, many Republicans, such as the former Republican G.O.P candidate, Herman Cain has favored a flat-tax system, advocating the same tax rate for all or more extremely, regressive tax system, favoring lower tax for the rich and more tax for the middle to low income classes. Crawford's act of proposing a progressive tax rate, a tax increase on the rich, is uncharacteristic of a Republican and was probably the reason for the criticisms.

Reflection
It is regretful that politicians are judged more based upon their party loyalty by their peers rather than the merit of their proposals. If the fiscal policy was strictly Republican, then the middle and low class would suffer from massive entitlement program cuts and taxes while the rich profit from tax breaks. If the fiscal policy was strictly Democratic, then the federal deficit will forever increase, due to the extravagant government expenditures. Crawford's plan of combining elements from both party strategies seem feasible, yet unfortunately, it will probably never be enacted due to oppositions within his party.