Back on topic
*soapbox is in place*
In regards to Bartlett's column on raising taxes; he seems to be going to different directions at one time. I have read his previous articles and they do not really match up well with the one you posted.
1) Bartlett is a supply-sider, of sorts. I have never heard of a supply-side economist proposing raising taxes (doesn't mean it hasn't/won't happen, it just goes against the grain of the theory/Laffer Curve). The only time a supply-side economist will back raising taxes is when the marginal tax-rate is to the left of the equilibrium point. You loose your membership card in the Supply-Side Club if you propose taxes going to the right of equilibrium.
That said, his comments a) do not make much sense and b) do not match previous opinions of his.
Bruce Bartlet: "I think the first President Bush somehow convinced himself that tax increases were what caused the economy to grow in the 1980s and was disappointed when the economy didn't rebound immediately after he raised taxes."
http://www.townhall.com/columnists/b...20030530.shtml
Bruce's article just a few months prior, entitled "Get on with the tax cuts"
They will work and save less and put more effort into saving taxes. All other things being equal, a reduction in marginal tax rates with average rates unchanged will always lead to increased output.
Bottom line: While your comment was well-stated and correct, the source was ambiguous. Imagine if you will, two months from now, in a different thread, I propose raising taxes. Would you not call me a hypocrite?
The only way I could legitimately make that statement would be to follow it up with a lengthy discussion explaining why my views changed. I would have to hear Bruce's side to fully understand the dramatic change, unless he was trying to mean something different.