Behind the I.R.S. Mess: A Campaign-Finance Scandal | Steven Rattner - New York Times

Kind of really the point here:

“By way of background, the decision in 2010 to target groups with certain words in their names did not come out of nowhere. That same year, the Supreme Court decision in the Citizens United case substantially liberalized rules around political contributions, stimulating the formation of many activist groups.

In the year ended Sept. 30, 2010, the division received 1,741 applications from “social welfare organizations” requesting tax-exempt status. Two years later, the figure was 2,774. Meanwhile, the staff of the division tasked with reviewing these applications was reduced as part of a series of budget reductions imposed on the I.R.S. by anti-tax forces.

A far higher proportion of the new applicants wanted to pursue a conservative agenda than a liberal agenda. So without trying to defend the indefensible profiling, it wouldn’t be that shocking if low-level staff members were simply, but stupidly, trying to find an efficient way to sift through the avalanche of applications.”

How Geography Explains the United States - By Aaron David Miller | Foreign Policy

Very interesting article about how geography influences the American world view:

"Canadians, Mexicans, and fish. That trio of neighbors has given the United States an unprecedented degree of security, a huge margin for error in international affairs, and the luxury of largely unfettered development."

Obama announces Foxx pick, cheers transit supporters | Burgess Everett - POLITICO.com

Obama announces Foxx pick, cheers transit supporters - Burgess Everett - POLITICO.com

Does Light Rail Really Encourage People to Stop Driving? | The Atlantic Cities

More evidence that common sense really isn't all that common:

"...another reminder of the irrational love people have for their cars; getting city residents to give up driving often requires more than just offering them a ride."

15 Ways to Rethink the Federal Budget | The Hamilton Project

Interesting set of proposals:

"The Hamilton Project asked leading experts from a variety of backgrounds—the policy world, academia, and the private sector, and from both sides of the political aisle—to develop policy proposals which could form a partial menu of options to achieve responsible deficit reduction."

Suspected meth lab turns out to be sweet maple syrup | KFVS12

This is hilarious!

"The Benson's have been making their own maple syrup for the past five years. This was the first time they've been mistaken for a meth lab.

They even gave the agents a sample of their syrup to take home and enjoy."

Friedman: India vs. China vs. Egypt | NYTimes.com

Another interesting column by Tom Friedman.  Here is the premise:

"It’s hard to escape a visit to India without someone asking you to compare it to China. This visit was no exception, but I think it’s more revealing to widen the aperture and compare India, China and Egypt. India has a weak central government but a really strong civil society, bubbling with elections and associations at every level. China has a muscular central government but a weak civil society, yet one that is clearly straining to express itself more. Egypt, alas, has a weak government and a very weak civil society, one that was suppressed for 50 years, denied real elections and, therefore, is easy prey to have its revolution diverted by the one group that could organize, the Muslim Brotherhood, in the one free space, the mosque. But there is one thing all three have in common: gigantic youth bulges under the age of 30, increasingly connected by technology but very unevenly educated."

Read the rest of Friedman's column. It is worth reading and thinking about because the impact over the next 10, 20, and 30 years will be bigger than people realize.