Most of the people that you hear quoting Adam Smith and his book "Wealth of Nations" (the Bible of capitalism) have not actually READ Adam Smith beyond the pithy quotes they've seen in right wing blogs or heard on John Stossel's muddle-headed reports.
If they bothered to actually read the writings of their patron saint, they'd learn that Adam Smith advocated progressive taxation.
Adam Smith wrote:
Unequivocal.
But, as the linked NEW YORKER article says, "Smith’s notion of reasonableness did not anticipate the Fox News Channel." Nor did he anticipate a Republican party that revels in appealing to greed, fear, and outright hatred as a matter of policy.
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