The Taxman: Sorry for the delay, but finding a broadband connection in Baghdad these days is rough. I'm writing from inside one of Saddam's now infamous "love shacks". One thing people probably didn't know about Saddam; he and Curtis Mayfield....tiiiiight. As I wander to the rumpus room, I notice the turntable needle frozen in time, resting over the fourth cut, "Mother's Son," off of 1974's "Got to Find a Way". I can see the Great Uncle now, settling back into some thick shag, the hookah within arm's reach as he watches a couple of his henchmen "soften up" a few women he "invited" over for some "fun."

Anyway, to comment on your tax issue. The converse of your point is: "The idea that this tax cut will actually have an effect is ridiculous." I, for one, do not equate tax cut with "tax reform." I think the two phrases should mean something different. A tax cut is brainless, easy and used as a political doggy treat to show your GOP bona fides. If you want to do something about our 8 million-word tax code, then do something. Don't stay in the existing parameters and trumpet how hard you're working.