The Board of Trustees of the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance and Federal Disability Insurance Trust Funds (read: Social Security) released their annual report yesterday. It must be absolutely disturbing to prompt these remarks from Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson: Without change, rising costs will drive government spending to unprecedented levels, consume nearly all projected federal revenues, and threaten America's future prosperity. I urge my friends in Congress to join me in a bipartisan effort to strengthen both programs for future retirees.

Writing for the commie-pinko Washington Monthly, Philip Longman, a fellow at the unabashedly socialist New America Foundation, has foreseen the end of the capitalist health care market and the coming of socialized medicine in America.

Rob Portman is in the Hill today, doing his best to spin the Congressional budget resolutions. One of his comments stands out: I'm disappointed that the budget pays for all that new spending with taxes, which I think will put at risk the very economic growth that has given us the increased revenues over the last few years to be able to reduce the deficit.

Following up on yesterday look at progressivity's tipping point: The Tax Policy Center released an article last week revealing that 65.9 percent of all "tax units" pay more payroll tax than income tax. The article notes that payroll tax is regressive with respect to current income -- the effective payroll tax rate falls as income rises. The income tax, in contrast, is progressive, even considering the deductions, loopholes, and other flattening provisions. Query: how long has the majority of taxpayers paid more in payroll than income tax, and whither is the trend tending?