Another example of medical inefficiency (the foundation of the long-term fiscal problem). The Washington Post on the study showing that children's cold medication is ineffective: For years, Joshua Sharfstein shuddered whenever he walked down a drugstore aisle lined with cough and cold products for babies and toddlers. "It never ceased to aggravate me," said Sharfstein, a pediatrician and father of two young boys. "Kids with colds were getting these medicines that had never been shown to be either effective or safe."

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel (D-NY)'s revenue neutral $1 trillion tax reduction and reform bill would repeal the AMT after this year at a cost of $795.66 billion over 10 years. This cost would be recovered by a surtax of between 4 percent and 4.6 percent on adjusted gross incomes (AGI) above $200,000 for married couples filing jointly or above $150,000 for single filers, expected to raise $831.7 billion over 10 years. The bill's individual tax title also

• expands the earned income tax credit at a cost of $29.14 billion

Robert Reich thinks we should tax income over $500,000 at 50 percent. Who am I to say to no?

Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Alphonso Jackson was back in the news this week, and the story wasn't good. Here's an passage from the AP artice: WASHINGTON - During an investigation of his conduct last year, President Bush's housing secretary defiantly defended his dealings with federal contractors doing business with the department. Alphonso Jackson survived that investigation, but now faces a new one stemming from the same forceful style that got him in trouble the first time. The FBI and the department's internal watchdog are examining Jackson's ties to a friend who was paid at least $392,000 in federal money after Jackson passed along the man's name for a job as post-Katrina construction manager at the Housing Authority of New Orleans. Saying Jackson "survived" the last investigation is putting it lightly. The internal HUD investigation by the Inspector General's office (the report of which has not been made public according to the AP) found that Jackson lied about his dealings with contractors, boasting inaccurately that he canceled a contract to one contractor after they expressed views different from President Bush. In fact, Jackson freely admitted he had lied about canceling the contract. Yet later in the IG's report, Jackson claimed not to have interfered with a grant for $4 million to Abt Associates, despite his staff testifying that he did. Apparently Jackson didn't like that Abt Associates associates only gave money to Democrats. The report conclude the award was "blocked for a significant period of time due to Jackson's involvement and opposition." Jackson said he never held it up. I suppose we're just supposed to believe him this time, despite evidence to the contrary and his track record for stretching the truth.