The legal of the former guy just keep hanging over Capitol Hill like a huge cloud of toxic hot air. It’s not just the lingering fear from Jan. 6 and violent threats from Republicans, it’s the remnants of their punitive policies. Case in point, the current problems—and infighting—Democrats are having over taxes and what to do about the cap on state and local tax (SALT) deductions, the provision in the 2017 tax scam that was intended specifically to punish people living in blue states. That law capped the SALT deductions at $10,000; there was previously no limit on the deduction, subject to the individual alternative minimum tax). Yes, it punished high-income taxpayers, but it also anyone who lives in a state that likes to adequately fund public services and schools, and where housing costs and property taxes are particularly high. It worked. About 11 million filers ended up paying a lot more in taxes. That’s how Trump and team financed their big corporate and high-income tax cuts. Hunter nailed the intent: “It’s a cynical move, but one that fits perfectly with the rest of Republican plans to govern for the sake of a core lobbyist-heavy base while sabotaging anything and everything else. Top Republican donors want corporate tax cuts, but they also want state and local taxes slashed, premised on a ‘need’ for brutal austerity that forbids the sort of programs and safety nets relied upon in past decades.“ It’s a bonus for them that it has tied Democrats in knots trying to figure out how to unpick it. Read more