Nearly everything that politicians say about taxes is at least half a lie. They are also dishonest when it comes to the national debt. Stephen Dubner finds one of the few people in Washington who is willing to tell the truth — and it’s even worse than you think. <ul><li>SOURCES:<ul><li><a href="https://manhattan.institute/person/jessica-riedl">Jessica Riedl,</a> senior fellow in budget, tax, and economic policy at the Manhattan Institute.</li></ul></li></ul> <ul><li>RESOURCES:<ul><li>"<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/02/21/upshot/house-gop-budget-blueprint.html">The House Wants to Pass Trump’s Agenda in One Big Bill. Here’s What’s in It.</a>" by Margot Sanger-Katz and Alicia Parlapiano (New York Times, 2025).</li><li>"<a href="https://manhattan.institute/article/correcting-the-top-10-tax-myths?utm_source=press_release&utm_medium=email">Correcting the Top 10 Tax Myths,</a>" by Jessica Riedl (Manhattan Institute, 2024).</li><li>"<a href="https://media4.manhattan-institute.org/wp-content/uploads/Budget-Chart-Book-2024.pdf">Spending, Taxes, and Deficits: A Book of Charts,</a>" by Jessica Riedl (Manhattan Institute, 2024).</li><li>"<a href="https://reason.com/2024/07/13/the-debt-lies-we-tell-ourselves/">Why Did Americans Stop Caring About the National Debt?</a>" by Jessica Riedl (Reason, 2024).</li><li>"<a href="https://manhattan.institute/article/a-comprehensive-federal-budget-plan-to-avert-a-debt-crisis-2024">A Comprehensive Federal Budget Plan to Avert a Debt Crisis,</a>" by Jessica Riedl (Manhattan Institute, 2024).</li><li>"<a href="https://budgetmodel.wharton.upenn.edu/issues/2023/10/6/when-does-federal-debt-reach-unsustainable-levels">When Does Federal Debt Reach Unsustainable Levels?</a>" by Jagadeesh Gokhale, Kent Smetters, and Mariko Paulson (The Wharton School of Business, 2023).</li><li>"<a href="https://manhattan.institute/article/the-limits-of-taxing-the-rich">The Limits of Taxing the Rich,</a>" by Jessica Riedl (Manhattan Institute, 2023).</li></ul></li></ul> <ul><li>EXTRAS:<ul><li>"<a href="https://freakonomics.com/podcast/farewell-to-a-generational-talent/">Farewell to a Generational Talent,</a>" by Freakonomics Radio (2024).</li></ul></li></ul>

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