The Thing Itself - NYTimes.com

Oh for leaders with practical solutions that could cut through the ideological shields that are thrown up by the adherents and reinforced by the various media talking heads and writing fingers.

"Many issues that were once concrete and practical are distorted because they have become symbolic and spiritual. Tax policy isn’t just about how to raise revenue anymore. Liberals see it as a way to punish the greedy and redress the iniquities of capitalism. Conservatives see tax increases as an assault on the enterprising class perpetrated by arrogant central planners. A tax rate could be seen as just a number signifying an expense, but now it’s a marker in a culture war."

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