Ok, I'm stunned.

Stunned and confused, that is. If the Bushies are actually going to move to a sales tax or VAT model, seemingly advocated by outgoing (in 2006) Speaker Hastert, then I'll be in a quandary. (I'd like a source other than Drudge and know we have some Hill vets around the board.) I've been an advocate of the flat tax, thinking that was a reachable goal. I never thought a sales tax/VAT - they're different, but appear the same to the public - had a chance. They look regressive, they make things appear more expensive, but actually the positives far outweight the negatives in my admittedly non-economist mind.

If the Republicans can sell this as "no IRS" and "more money in your paycheck" rather than "stuff's going to look expensive" and "we'll use this to bankrupt Social Secuirty and Medicare quicker", I think the public will bite. Heck, *I* might bite.

I hope Brad DeLong or one of our informed posters here will help educate me and the rest of the readership on this important, complex issue.