It's not very often that the editors of National Review make the same kinds of arguments I've made on an issue ... and when they do, I'm usually inclined to reconsider my position.
Not this time, though.
Moi on the "Fair" Tax, here and here.
National Review on the "Fair" Tax, here.
I do see one point of disagreement, though: the NR folks think that the argument could be made that the "Fair" Tax would "send home prices into free fall" by getting rid of the mortgage deduction. I think that the "Fair" Tax would result in a housing shortage and skyrocketing home prices, since it would increase the building material costs of new homes by 30%, while not levying that 30% tax on used homes. Nobody would want to build a new house -- they'd go shopping for something previously lived in instead, increasing demand versus supply and driving the costs of those up.
Speaking of the "Fair" Tax, I noticed that Neal Boortz was in Iowa last weekend hectoring Republicans to support it. Good deal. If stumping for universal welfare and 50 mini-IRSes keeps Lester Maddox's old speechwriter too busy to go around trying to pass himself off as a "libertarian," it's good for something, anyway.
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