Flat Tax

[Republican Left]

Could a flat tax be more palatable with a generous exemption or like what has been suggested more, a tax credit/deduction to make it more progressive. That said, while it may sound painful, isn't the premise of a flat tax to encourage all taxpayers to be sensitive to government spending as well as reducing the influence of special interests who seek crave outs in the tax code? To be honest, I don't think it's so bad in theory to make sure everyone has a stake in something (such as having everyone pay for the safety net or etc). I understand the practical realities can be more painful though.