John at Power Line is more than a bit upset by the antics of the Pelosi-led House:
I’m stupefied to find that some people are defending the constitutionality of Nancy Pelosi’s discriminatory, confiscatory and retroactive tax on people who receive bonus income from companies that got TARP money. I would have considered it a bright line rule that the government can’t identify a class of unpopular people and impose a special tax on them. What’s next? A 100% income tax on registered Republicans, retroactive to last year? If Pelosi’s bill passes muster, why not?
To me, this thuggish, retroactive law is a pretty clear violation of Article 1, section 9 of the United States Constitution:
It is lousy law and Congress needs to pull back from this assault on the Constitution. I cannot imagine this thing passing muster at the Supreme Court.
There are plenty of people to get mad at in the AIG fiasco. But the voters should direct their anger at the folks who specifically allowed the AIG bonuses in the first place.
That would be the Democrats in Congress (along with three Republicans) and Barack Obama.
Don’t let them trample the constitution to divert attention from their actions.
UPDATE: Kim Priestap at Wizbang notes that there is at leat one grownup in the US Senate:
Finally, an adult has stepped up and slowed down the AIG tax that has already passed the House. Senator Jon Kyl blocked the AIG tax and is keeping it from going any further lest even more damage could be done by rushing another poorly crafted piece of legislation through.
Good for him.