Questions for progressives

Some questions I would like to see answered by our friends on the left:

• It is frequently said that the rich must pay their fair share in taxes. What income level constitutes "rich" and what percentage of taxation should be regarded as "fair"? Explain your answer.

• Why is government spending preferable to tax cuts in providing economic stimulus? Why is money allocated by politicians more effective than that spent by individuals who earned the money in the first place? In giving your answer, please keep in mind that money saved or invested provides a pool of capital for businesses to draw from.

• What would have to occur for last year's stimulus package to be declared a failure? What metrics should be considered?

• Do you believe that school vouchers which enable poor children to escape failed government-run schools and attend the same schools as children of the wealthy are good public policy? If not, why not? Can one truly claim to be an advocate for the poor while restricting their educational choices?

• Do you regard health care reform efforts in Massachusetts as a success or failure?

• Welfare reform in the mid-1990s, which introduced concepts such as time limits to government aid and work requirements, has been almost universally acknowledged as a public policy success. What are the appropriate lessons from this experience?

• Deregulation of the airline and trucking industries are widely credited with producing lower costs and improved service. What are the lessons should be taken from this experience?

• Presidents Clinton and Obama, while both Democrats who campaigned for office in the midst of recessions, opted for very different approaches towards the economy. Clinton, while raising income taxes, also approved a free trade deal with Mexico, deregulation in the financial and telecom sectors, deficit reduction, scaling back of entitlement spending and cuts in the capital gains tax. Obama has opted for higher government spending, more entitlements and greater regulation. Which approach do you agree with and why?

• Which government programs would you regard as successful? What public policy initiatives over the last 30 years do you view as successes? Failures?

This is but a sampling of some of the many questions I would like to see answered.