When normal people judge what constitutes a tax increase, they compare what they will pay tomorrow to what they are paying today. If that number goes up, it's a tax increase. That is not how the Gang of Six did its tax calculations.

AEI economist and tax expert Alan Viard says the proposed legislation to extend the Bush tax cuts for the middle class while allowing the cuts to expire for high-income earners would cause the most damage to the economy.

The agreement that extended the debt limit has been very controversial. Even Republicans have questioned whether it was responsible to go to the brink with the country's credit standing at stake. But given the severity of the county's debt position, "grand bargains" involving tax increases are not a viable option.

This is a defining moment for Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio). He can go down in history as a statesman or as a weak and opportunistic pol. Right now, it doesn't look good on the statesman front.

The biggest debate in Congress revolves around taxes, but the debate we are seeing between the parties is about as bankrupt as it could be, and the impasse on the tax issue could lead us into a policy disaster.

Think of Uncle Sam walking in a wind tunnel leading to insolvency. The budget deal’s cuts increased the headwind he has to walk into, but they don’t do anything that forces him to turn around.

Medicare Part D — delivering prescription drugs to seniors — has been a success since President Bush introduced it. And the Obama administration plans to threaten that achievement.

Isn't it time we stopped fighting over Bush's tax policy? Wouldn't it be refreshing to have a fiscal-policy debate without repeating Bush's name?