This book by Alan Viard and Robert Carroll proposes to completely replace the income tax system with a progressive consumption tax.

We got more tussle and a whole bunch of dumb questions in the Meet the Press/NBC/Facebook/Union Leader/Channel 7 debate (are these things improved by having more sponsors? No) this morning.

"Phake: The Deadly World of Falsified and Substandard Medicines" explores the underground trade in illegal medicines that kills over 100,000 people per year and supplants billions of dollars of real products.

For more than half a century, Pakistan and the United States have found themselves partners in common crises. The U.S.-Pakistani alliance is strange, however, because both sides maintain fundamentally different and often mutually exclusive understandings of their national interests.

Does the chemical used to make non-stick frying pans endanger the lives of the workers who make it? Facing a daily assault of über-opinionated stories on the web, the public has developed low expectations of journalists. But we continue to have high standards for science reporters wrestling with information that can impact our health and safety. Sadly, such lofty expectations aren't always met.

Instead of using this momentum to finish the job, there are persistent rumors that the White House wants to use the success of the surge to reduce force levels this July more than commanders in the field desire. Substantial cuts to our forces would be a terrible mistake.

By removing unnecessary regulatory burdens that hinder companies from doing what they do best — creating jobs and meeting the needs of American consumers — the nation could create jobs and boost an otherwise lackluster economic recovery.

The U.S. economy has been doing poorly for so long now that it's easy to get dispirited. But there are several reasons to think 2012 might be a good one for American economic performance.