Does saying yes to the dress mean no to the tax? The men and women who write our nation’s tax laws aren’t known for their sartorial style. Ohio Representative James Traficant, who served 17 years in the people’s House before serving seven years in the “big” house, raised eyebrows with an occasional denim suit. (We’re pretty sure… Read More

If you’re thinking an asteroid strike will solve your tax problems, think again. Roughly 180 million miles into space, between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, astronomers have found millions of asteroids — solid rocks that failed to form a planet. Most of the time, those asteroids coexist quite peacefully with earth. However, occasionally one… Read More

Here’s something our friends at the IRS give thanks for.   Four hundred years ago, a group of 50 pilgrims sat down with 100 Wampanoag guests for a three-day feast that we now celebrate as the first Thanksgiving. It was a mostly young, mostly male group that survived the colony’s harsh initial year in New… Read More

Did your wedding make headlines like this? Back in The Good Old Days, fame was something you earned by throwing a ball, selling a million records, lighting up a cinema screen, or landing on the moon. Then Paris Hilton decided she wanted to be famous without all that bother. So, armed with little more than… Read More

What do you call a tax cut if it doesn’t actually cut taxes? Ronald Reagan won the White House in 1980 partly by campaigning against incumbent Jimmy Carter and partly by campaigning against the 70% top income tax rate. Reagan preached a new gospel of “supply-side” economics, arguing that tax cuts would put money back in the pockets of… Read More

  Here’s a tax you don’t need to worry about…or do you? Democrats in Congress are working on an impressive list of spending priorities they hope to pass as soon as this week. There’s an infrastructure bill with $1 trillion for roads, bridges, climate resilience, and broadband access. There’s a budget reconciliation package with another… Read More

  Is Netflix’s Newest Hit Killing It In IRS Offices, Too? Back in 2000, a scrappy little startup named Netflix was losing millions every month on their business renting DVDs online, mailing them to subscribers through something called the “Post Office.” (Remember them?) The founders had the bright idea to sell their company to Blockbuster… Read More

  Today’s definition of “the Right Stuff” has certainly changed! Fifty-five years ago, NBC debuted a new series that producer Gene Roddenberry called “a Western in outer space — a so-called Wagon Train to the stars.” Star Trek starred a journeyman Canadian actor named William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk, helming a crew of… Read More

When Does Parenting Go Too Far? People have always aspired to “make the grade” and take their place on the lists of the world’s most famous and accomplished people. A generation ago, business executives and politicians aimed for Who’s Who in America, while athletes aimed for the Hall of Fame and entertainers pined for stars… Read More