Once again Jim McGovern makes me proud to have him as my Representative in Congress!

If the American people want this war, then they should at least pay for it. Passing on the cost of this misadventure to future generations is the height of irresponsibility.

I see your irony, although I suspect others won't.

Speaking plainly, Americans don't care about the troops. They feel about them as they do about football or baseball teams. Everyone loves them when they're at the Superbowl or the World Series, but mid-season, or mid-quagmire, most people don't care.

Some do of course, mostly family and friends, but their support for the military is blind. They will wave their flags and tie yellow ribbons on things until the bitter end, and what other choice do they have. If they acknowledge what everyone else sees plainly, the cognitive dissonance would be overwhelming.

And yet, they are our only hope, as they are the only Americans who are truly affected by this war. For lets be honest with ourselves, most people don't care how many of our soldiers die. Sad, stupid and tragic as that is, it's true. Only the military can end this war.

I thought the war was going to pay for itself with the Iraq oil revenue.

It makes sense to raise taxes to cover the costs, thats how I run my finances. Sure this will allow the GOP to attack the Democrats as the party who wants to raise your taxes.

The arguement needs to be framed in terms of irresponsible spending that needs to be paid for.

I think we should just tax the people from the districts who had congress members who voted "yes" to the war. Reductions in taxes would be allowed if their congress member voted to end the war. --- I know that sounds silly, but I bet it would get people's attention. Especially if, every year, you were sent a "War Tax Bill" listing your congress people and their phone numbers along with their votes to keep the war going.

Ask anyone who favors the war to pledge to dig deep in their pockets and pay for it. No other monies would be allowed to underwrite the war, including public funds. Not enough money, no war.

Just dreaming.

"The Marine Corps is at war; America is at the mall."

This is a very ugly picture!

All praise to McGovern for having the courage to face it.

McGovern is just a fuddy duddy beauracrat who needs to learn from the private sector like the rest of Congress has. What I mean is, there is no need to pay off debt -- just refinance! Oh, and be sure to get the "cash out" option so we can use that money for a tax refund!

Isn't it amazing that we run our entire Government for a year on the same amount of $$ that it takes to destroy a country. But yet we can't afford to give our kids health care.

Can't have an abortion, but can't get help feeding and clothing and keeping the child healthy. But we can use that money to kill and mamed and completely f'up an entire country.

This whole f'ing country is a joke. We sure know how to bring people together, even people that hate each other are laughing together at us.

Roll back that tax cuts and use that to pay for your f'ing war!

If such a tax is approved, it would be a sign of confidence in the outcomes of the Middle East Wars. After all, US America must be fighting this war, because the supposed future outcomes are going to better than not fighting it? There is the realms of ever-more expensive oil to get for evermore offshored non-tax paying oil corporations, who certainly aren't going to pay any of the costs, and are already reaping the rewards in higher oil prices. And those sky high profits by Military Corporations, they'll need special tax exemptions too. And the wealthy of America will probably need another tax break, to help them over the hardships of the declining US dollar. I'm sure they'll figure out a way to make the poor pay. Any surtax would be symbolic. The US economic punishment system will redistribute costs to the masses, both internal and in overseas foriegn policy. You cannot afford the wars. US America is already cancerous and ill.

Are we even at war? Doesn't the constitution say that only congress can declare war? OK, so they seem to have abdicated their authority to someone that couldn't make it through the National Guard and his croneys that all got deferments.

If we drop a bomb on another country, or even kill anybody in another country isn't that tantamount to a declaration of war? It would be if things were reversed!

We need to make congress enforce the constitution. No aggression against a foreign country or citizens of it without a formal declaration of war -- by congress.

Of course, a formal declaration of war must also necessitate a national conscription.

These measures, as originally laid out by the founders, would slow down the race to corporate imperialism.

But apparently the constitution is just a "god damned piece of paper."

What an assinine concept. It's based on the fallacy that the American people should support "our troops" by sharing in "their sacrifice" by paying a tax surcharge on "George Bush's" private war for corporate profits.

Just ridiculous. That's like putting out a fire by pouring gasoline on it.

This legislator needs to be kicked out of Congress, a.s.a.p.

The foolishness of his idea is unforgiveable. Look, Bush has used the federal budget as a private fund for his constituency of corporate war profiteering cronies, including Blackwater. You give him more money, and he escalates the war, to Iran, to Syria, etc. etc.

This would harm troops, not help them.

The soldiers need to desert and claim conscientious objector status. This is cheaper, and it will save their lives and honor, since the illegal war is just a heap of atrocities.

Congressman McGovern is a gutsy, principled guy. He, Murtha, and Obey are putting their political livelihoods where their mouths are.

An idea for politicians: Introduce a bill whereby each person gets to decide what his taxes will fund.

I agree with curmudgeon--let the people who support it finance it. If there's not enough money, end it. Simple as that.

How about all the Bush Boys and every single son of a bitch that voted for it and every son of a bitch that lied to the American people and every single son of a bitch that's profited from it go and enlist right now? Or insist that your sons and daughters enlist or they won't get that inheritance they've been waiting for?

"But to force our children to pay for that tragedy would only compound it. The war in Iraq has been this generation's mistake. It should not be the next generation's burden."

Dude, like, we're still paying for Reagan's wars in Central America, Bush I's Gulf War, Clinton's War against Serbia and his initiation of the Iraqi Holocaust. In fact, we're still paying for the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and a host of other lesser known wars all financed by loans made to the federal government to be paid by future generations!!!! That's why when based on moral priciples one decides to become a War Tax Resister one will likely never pay federal taxes again as the cost of all previous wars have been "refinanced" (as someone put it) onto the backs of unborn innocents, thus making them complicit in the previous generations's crimes. Clearly, the man doesn't think very clearly at times.

I like Jim McGovern, but this proposal like most coming out of that slime machine on Capitol Hill, would once again place a burden on what's left of the middle class in this country.

RESTRUCTURE THE GODDAMNED TAX CODES SO THAT EVERYONE IS PAYING AN EQUAL PERCENTAGE ON THEIR "EARNED" AND "UN-EARNED" INCOMEs. ELIMINATE ALL LOOPHOLES!

Most of us are getting tired and weary of hearing the same old primitive bullsh*t about tax increases on everyone in this country when statistics prove that income disparities have been increasing for decades. It's no coincidence that the top 5% now own close to 90% of the wealth in this country; and anyone who pays attention to the legislation being passed on Captiol Hill knows how this happened.

Once again, CHANGE THE TAX STRUCTURE TO ONE THAT IS EQUITABLE!

Some excellent comments above but I'm really puzzled by all the references to a war. What war? Don't you people know the difference between a war and an illegal U.S. military occupation of a foreign country? We are the world's number one terrorist and our leaders lead us by the nose by saying that we're fighting the terrorists. Horsepucky! It's the U.S. that attacks foreign countries, occupies them and kills hundreds of thousands of people in those countries. "War" my foot.

How many elections have the democrats lost because their afraid of being weak on national defense (actually offense) and of raising taxes.

Just once I would like them to articulate a few simple truths in response to republicans Rovian/Orwellian slogans. One would be that war is like a fire, very easy to start, but difficult to put out. Second, in response to the "tax and spend democrats" couldn't they just once say that this is a wiser fiscal policy then "spend and charge republicans."

Yes, I realize all this deficit spending has a secondary political tactic of emptying the treasury so all social programs can be abandoned...... Just another form of disaster capitalism...... a dastardly bunch these republicans and most democrats are reading from the same page....just a little slower.

Why don't we take the Jonathan Swift "Modest Proposal" approach, and sell American babies to the highest bidders? Then we could trade our children for our pig-fat LIFESTYLE WAR directly?

why not shift the burden to those who pushed for the war

I agree with curmudgeon99 and blessthebeasts. People who support the Iraq occupation should fund it. Now that everything is computerized, it seems it would be possible to replace annual budgets and annual taxes with monthly budgets and taxes, or at least quarterly. So each month, or quarter, the people could be taxed and they could indicate what percentage of their tax goes where. Then if enough rubes send their taxes to fund the occupation, it continues. If not, it ends. THAT would be democracy.

Would everybody please relax?
Remember back in early 2006 when Chuck Rangell introduced new legislation to reintroduce the military draft? Of course his intention was not to reintroduce the draft--it was to shake us out of our apathy, make us realize that a "support the troops" bumper sticker isn't enough, get us hopping mad and talking about it. Well, McGovern is doing the same thing by introducing his surtax. Only a few posters above seem to get the intended irony...

Thanks plainjain you saved me a lot of typing. What was most interesting about this piece (and his proposal) is what he didn't say.