PAT BUCHANAN: The Depardieu Revolution.

With federal income taxes on America's most successful rising today to almost 40 percent, New York City residents will also pay a top rate of 12 percent to the state and city plus a 9 percent sales tax on their purchases, plus payroll taxes for Medicare and Social Security, plus property taxes, auto taxes, gas taxes and cigarette taxes.

For many successful Americans, over half of all they earn is now taken by government. And reading The New York Times' year-end editorial, these may soon be seen as the good old days.

The Times urges Obama to consider sweeping new taxes to "reduce income inequality." Among the revenue raisers for which it urges consideration: Almost tripling the capital tax rate to 40 percent, capping deductions for high earners, restoring the estate tax to confiscatory levels, higher tax rates or surcharges on multimillion-dollar incomes and raising the corporate tax rate -- already the highest in the world.

"All that would be only a start," says the Times. A carbon tax, a value-added tax, a financial transactions tax should all be looked at.

It's a wonder that more people aren't packing their bags for departure....

[UPDATE] Cal Thomas has more.