Well, this question made me think about the tax preparation course a few years ago, when the inequities of the tax system became really apparent.

First of all, he tax code is just one law on top of another for years and years, and then never remove anything. That's why we have this entire industry dedicated to preparing taxes and lobbying for their regulation. I think that's a little obscene. Plus, if we could simplify the tax code and cut out the people who prepare them, I think we could increase tax payer participation in the political process because they would understand how much of their money is paid into the system. Case and point: the tea baggers. I don't think many of these people are paying much, if any, taxes to begin with and I don't think they appreciate the services their taxes buy.

The other issue is that there are too many loopholes for the wealthy. A flat tax of some sort - and it can be on consumption, or income, or whatever, would level the playing field. It's exactly the deductions for things like charitable giving, or "farming" or other things that the wealthy can write off that decrease their contribution overall.