Prussian Minister Otto von Bismarck once said that laws are like sausages: it’s better not to see them being made. Frankly, that comparison is unfair to sausage makers. When was the last time a kitchen full of lawmakers cooked up something as tasty as a delicate Bavarian weisswürst, or as satisfying as a classic Wisconsin… Read More

Americans love holidays — so much that if we see a blank spot on the calendar, someone is ready to fill it. Usually, it’s someone with something to sell: would it shock you to learn that something called the National Retail Federation was behind Cyber Monday? (No Virginia, there is no Cyber Santa.) Friday, April… Read More

One April day, in 1564 (We know the month, but sadly not the date) The Bard the world would someday all adore Was born to write the plays we’d see as great.   Today we think of Shakespeare’s clever quatrains. Yet he was so much more than just a scrivener. His businesses included trading grains… Read More

This time of year, millions of Americans celebrate Easter and Passover, the holiest days of their faith. But the calendar is loaded with plenty of “Hallmark holidays,” too, usually invented by companies looking to sell something. There’s Sweetest Day, invented by greeting card companies to sell more greeting cards. There’s Small Business Saturday, invented by… Read More

In 2017, country singer Luke Bryan scored a #1 hit with “Most People Are Good.” Certainly, most people consider themselves good. Of course, “illusory superiority bias” (also known as the “better than average” effect) means most of us think we’re better than we really are at most everything. One survey showed 64% of drivers rating… Read More

Time to play a word association game: what jumps into your mind when you hear the word “Canada”? If you’re like most Americans, it’s ice hockey or curling. Maybe it’s poutine, that irresistibly savory shotgun marriage of french fries smothered in cheese curds, and gravy that gives Canadians a helpful layer of belly fat to… Read More

In 1787, the founding fathers gathered in Philadelphia to fix the weak Articles of Confederation, and wound up adopting the first written national constitution on earth. (“A republic, if you can keep it,” Ben Franklin said. The jury’s still out.) The framers sought to achieve a perfect balance of power between federal and state governments.… Read More

Over the years, we’ve written a fair number of stories about frustrated taxpayers choosing to cut their bill the old-fashioned way: by cheating. In today’s America, which seems more divided than at any time since the Civil War, tax cheats truly cut across all lines — political, racial, religious, and socioeconomic. (Last year, the Justice… Read More

March 2 marks the birthday of America’s favorite self-help author, Theodor “Dr. Seuss” Geisel. Seuss died in 1991 with an estimated net worth of $75 million, so he knew a thing or two about paying tax. But archivists recently discovered a file of unpublished manuscripts revealing just how much he resented it. His first effort,… Read More

Back in 1788, George Washington turned down his chance to become King of the new United States of America. Maybe that’s why the closest thing we have to a royal family right now — at least, as far as supermarket tabloids are concerned — is the Kardashians. While the family redefines the concept of “famous… Read More