I'd just like to make the point that there are some in this world who believe there's no such thing as a good tax and that there's something wrong with the concept of taxation. Let's face it: we can't have things like adequate search and rescue facilities in this country unless we're going to accept that there has to be taxation that has as its purpose to raise funds to provide necessary services--and in particular in this case, emergency services.
If we had a little less debate about how can we.... You know, you can't have it both ways. You can't say “let's cut, cut, cut on taxes” and at the same time say that we're going to be able to deliver improved services--or even maintain services, let alone improve on them. Clearly what we have here is an unacceptable situation. It requires revenue to deal with it and I think it is primarily a federal responsibility.