Don't ask, don't tell. But do require.

No, this is not about gays in the military.  It's about language and politics.

"What our budget did was look to Vermonters who are still making a generous income … and ask them to pay a little bit more,"

-Rep Janet Ancel

House Speaker Shap Smith, D-Morristown, and Senate President Pro Tempore Peter Shumlin, D-Windham.....ask some better-off Vermonters to shoulder some of the financial burden by paying higher taxes.

--Free Press

Definitions:

Ask:  v.tr.

4a. To make a request of: asked me for a loan.

Require:  tr.v.

 3. To impose an obligation on; compel: Students are required to attend classes.

When legislators say they are asking someone to pay higher taxes, they don't mean it.  If they did, there would be a card in every Vermont income tax booklet asking those people to contribute.  The debate would be improved if instead, those legislators seeking higher taxes would remind voters that they will be requiring some people to pay higher taxes.

If you don't want to read the entire George Orwell essay, some relevant brief passages are

But if thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought. A bad usage can spread by tradition and imitation even among people who should and do know better.

I have not here been considering the literary use of language, but merely language as an instrument for expressing and not for concealing or preventing thought.

Comments

[Chris Campion]

Shap might want to look at www.irs.gov to see exactly how much of the financial burdens are being shared by the wealthy.

http://www.house.gov/jec/news/2008/Oct/pr110-50.pdf

I'd say if the top half of income earners are "shouldering" 97% of individual income taxes collected, well, how much broader does Shap think their shoulders should grow to, just because he thinks so? What's left of the wealthy will start voting with their feet, and then where will that additional tax revenue come from?

[txgordo]

If Democrats are so concerned about tax revenue, let's ask them this question - do you take the deductions that are offered on your income tax? If so, why? Do you think you are overtaxed, thus you should take all possible deductions? Shouldn't you set an example?