Joe Klein beat me to it and said pretty much everything that needs to be said: When Joe Biden claimed wealthy Americans have a patriotic duty to pay more in taxes, he was absolutely right. This is a time of crisis, domestic and foreign. The public has needs, from a vigilant national defense to access to basic medical care, that only the government can meet. And the government is running out of money, primarily because it's been starved of resources. Those who have reaped the largest financial benefits in the last few years--in part because Republicans drastically lowered their tax burden--have a duty to start giving back more.
--Jonathan Cohn