Incrementalism: the path toward an income tax

Ron Muzzall

Senator

You may be familiar with the logical fallacy of the slippery slope. Simply put, it’s the idea that a certain action or effort will eventually lead to a much larger negative outcome. As a rhetorical device, most contend it is an ineffective and disingenuous basis for an argument. However, the slippery slope is not a fallacy when there is evidence. In fact, the pattern of government is one of incrementalism. Large, sweeping changes in public policy are few and far between and the system forces compromise or minor tweaks to achieve a desired outcome.

The current debate over th...