BY THE WAY: the big chunk that comes out of your paycheck every month and goes to fund Social Security is not a tax, according to White House economic advisor Lawrence Lindsay. The Washington Post has an excellent (and frightening) article about how this argument fits into a potential Republican plan to soak the poor and middle class, who are paying too little in taxes (apparently). Predictably, according to the Reps, the rich are paying too much in taxes.

I wish I was overstating the case here. Let me drop my admittedly only semi-objective stance and say: WHAT IN GOD'S NAME IS THE G.O.P. DOING? It certainly makes sense to be concerned about tax policy and "fiscal discipline." But to attempt to argue that the payroll tax is not a "tax" seems hopelessly abstract, and not likely to increase the Reps' standing among voters, as in: "Not a tax?? What friggin' Orwellian planet are you from? Who are these people?? Get them out of here!!!"

Thanks to Slate's Today's Papers for picking up this one.