SO FAR, NO NAME CALLING. Atlantic Blog and Insults Unpunished (via Outside the Beltway) have responded to Paul Krugman on taxes, with no evidence of the hype and spin Crooked Timber anticipated.

There is at least one dimension of the tax debate that goes beyond positive economics. Specifically, a person might advocate the position Professor Krugman classifies as "starve the beast" as consistent with the political philosophy summarized as "that government governs best which governs least."