Alas, the Mortgage-Interest Deduction Cannot Be Pried Away

Attempting comprehensive tax reform is like trying to tug many bones from the clamped jaws of many mastiffs. Every provision of the code — now approaching 4 million words — was put there to placate a clamorous faction, or to create a grateful group that will fund its congressional defenders. Still, Washington will take another stab at comprehensiveness, undeterred by the misadventures of comprehensive-immigration and health-care reforms. Consider just one tax change that should be made and certainly will not be ...