Talk about a busy day for political posts, here are two more articles I found that absolutely must get posted.
The first is an opinion column from the New York Jewish Times that talks about the plight of the everyday Israeli. The article makes a few really good points (like the fact that average Israeli is search more times per day than the average Palestinian), mixed in with some decidedly non-journalistic ranting. Definitely worth a read.
The second article is a Drudge Report exclusive. Basically it states that Congressman Hastert plans to work with the Bush White House (if Bush wins a second term) to implement a VAT, flat-tax, or federal sales tax that would effectively negate the need for the IRS. This kind of action would single handedly do more to help the U.S. economy AND increase federal income than anything else the U.S. Congress could do. The IRS drags billions (thats right billions) out of the U.S. economy every year and does more to violate constitutional rights than the Patriot Act ever did.