Close the Paris Hilton Loophole

Close the Paris Hilton Loophole

If our leaders want to balance the budget, here’s a suggestion: Congress can scrap a new “Paris Hilton” giveaway that’s draining billions of federal tax dollars. This giveaway takes the form of a complex tax loophole designed to circumvent the...
3 Freaky April Fools’ Day Stories

3 Freaky April Fools’ Day Stories

On a recent morning, after checking news reports, I thought: What a freaky news day. Freaky Story No. 1: The Governor of Texas rarely has any ideas. But apparently one unexpectedly erupted from the usually dormant cluster of low-voltage brain cells in Rick...
Lobbying to Sustain Inequality

Lobbying to Sustain Inequality

Congress will soon vote on a measure that would raise the national minimum wage to $10.10 and bring the tipped wage to 70 percent of the full minimum. The Fair Minimum Wage Act would give millions of American workers a long-overdue raise. Today’s $7.25-per-hour...
The Power Politics behind a Long, Gilded Life

The Power Politics behind a Long, Gilded Life

Let us pause now to pay our respects to Bunny Mellon. She died in mid-March on her Virginia horse-country estate. But no tears, please. Bunny — nobody called her by her given name Rachel — lived a long and rich life. Very long. Very rich. One hundred and three at her...