I want to begin with a quote.

We’re going to close the unproductive tax loopholes that have allowed some of the truly wealthy to avoid paying their fair share. In theory, some of those loopholes were understandable, but in practice they sometimes made it possible for millionaires to pay nothing, while a bus driver was paying 10 percent of his salary, and that’s crazy. It’s time we stopped it.

And the way I see it, if our current tax structure were a TV show, it would either be “Foul-ups, Bleeps, and Blunders,” or “Gimme a Break.” If it were a record album, it would be “Gimme Shelter.” If it were a movie, it would be “Revenge of the Nerds” or maybe “Take the Money and Run.” And if the IRS, Internal Revenue Service, ever wants a theme song, maybe they’ll get Sting to do, “Every breath you take, every move you make, I’ll be watching you.”

What we’re trying to move against is institutionalized unfairness. We want to see that everyone pays their fair share, and no one gets a free ride. Our reasons? It’s good for society when we all know that no one is manipulating the system to their advantage because they’re rich and powerful. But it’s also good for society when everyone pays something, that everyone makes a contribution.

After all, we’re all citizens, equal in the eyes of the law, and equal in the eyes of God. You’re given a lot of benefits when you’re born in the U.S.A, but you’re given a responsibility, too, a responsibility to do your part and become a contributing member of the American family and an equal partner in America, Incorporated. When you pay your taxes, you buy your shares. And every year you get to vote on who should be on the board of directors.

Now, you’ll be hearing more about our tax proposals over the next few weeks. A great debate has begun, and there will be much talk, pro and con. And that’s good, that’s what America’s all about.

Who said that? If you are of a certain political persuasion, you might have guessed it was that socialist Barack Obama. Or maybe it was a quote from a socialist newspaper or some other left wing politician. But it was Ronald Reagan at Northside High School in Atlanta, Georgia on June 6, 1985. The entire speech is in the Reagan archives maintained by The University of Texas at Austin.

I have 2 points. The Republican view of taxation was very different in Ronald Reagan’s day. And because the Republican party has moved so far to the right, the 2 parties cannot even have a serious discussion of this or other issues .

The extreme partisanship in the electorate is bad. The extreme partisanship in Congress is damaging. Perhaps, one of the things we need to think about in the election this fall is reducing extreme partisanship. Think about which candidate for any office is willing to debate and compromise.