A HACK DEFENDING HACKS

This statement by the head of AEI annoyed me:

Obama: Stereotypes on left, right a hurdle to ending poverty
By NANCY BENAC
10 hours ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — It wasn't your typical panel discussion: President Barack Obama sat down Tuesday with leading thinkers from the left and right to reflect on poverty, income inequality and the stereotypes that get in the way of finding solutions.

Obama appeared with Professor Robert Putnam of Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, and Arthur Brooks, president of the American Enterprise Institute, at a Catholic-Evangelical summit.

Obama highlighted a loophole that allows hedge fund managers to pay low tax rates, saying, "If we can't bridge that gap, then I suspect we're not going to make as much progress as we need to."

Brooks countered that the loophole was a "show issue," and that it was more important to tackle the high cost of middle-class entitlements. Brooks warned against impugning the motives of Republican leaders, calling it the "No. 1 barrier to making progress."