totally agree on the 1st paragraph...
Ob your points about the garden-variety "progressives"
1) Many people that i know that are "liberal / progressive" KNOW that they are getting their money taken. Some are of the wealthier type. And quite a few of the big earning Business dont give a dam of a small tax hike, in a time of World Record earnings for corporations. A few % points of effective tax rate change wont even make a dent in the Net Gains.
Yes, the non conforming ones will try and hike prices, but in the current economy they will lose a decent portion of customer base to the companies that take the minimal hit.