The Progressive Paradox: Along the lines of the progressive taxation debates we've had here, comes now this story about how the University of California system is considering charging higher tuition for wealthy students:

The Board of Regents of the University of California examined a proposal for a surcharge on wealthy students at a meeting Thursday. The university would be the first in the country to target wealthy students with a surcharge.

The proposed fee would force undergraduate students with family incomes exceeding $90,000 to pay as much as $3,000 more to attend one of the university's nine campuses.

And why not charge wealthy people more for a dog license. The argument, that they can afford to (and therefore should) pay more, is really indistinguishable from the argument for progressive taxation. If you can see your way clear to supporting this, what sorts of state or federal fees (if any) should be exempt from this extrapolated reasoning? How about state highway tolls? Just throw your social security number on your application for the EZ-Pass transponder, and do your part for balancing the state budget. How about municipal garbage collection fees? Water and sewer fees? Building permits?

The logic is insupportable, and the idea is class warfare dressed up, as usual, in the garb of fairness.

Link nod to Rob at Gut Rumbles, who has some choice words on this. (And Rob, although Steve Goodman cut a version of "Souvenirs," it's Prine's song.)