Dan Thomasson

WASHINGTON -- The late Sen. Russell Long of Louisiana used to sum up American attitudes toward taxation this way. "It's simple," the then chairman of the Senate Finance Committee would say every time the subject of revising the Internal Revenue code came up. "It's don't tax me, don't tax thee, tax that man behind the tree." The flamboyant, brilliant son of the even more so Huey Long, famous -- or infamous depending on one's point of view -- for among other things advocating the redistribution of wealth, regarded the payment of taxes a "quality problem." If one didn't make any money, then one wouldn't have to pay them. He also didn't like the word "reform" when applied to this subject, noting that one man's reform is another's poison.

WASHINGTON -- The old axiom "don't sweat the small stuff" isn't always the best advice, particularly when applied to politics. It often is the little things that get one into big trouble as President Barack Obama is finding out.

Among the oldest of political adages is the warning that one should never get into (expletive) match with someone who buys ink by the barrel. While that may not be as true as it was when newspapers ruled the daily news menu, it certainly still holds firm for those who own television networks and have a large Internet presence. Barack Obama and his chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel should take notice even if they have justification.

It's not unusual for a correspondent or even a group of them to fall out of favor with the White House, bringing about his or her limited access or even banishment often followed by demands that the parent organization assign someone else or withdraw a story. The Kennedys were infamous for it.

My 16-year-old granddaughter was outraged and she gave me specific instructions.

"You must write about this asinine nonsense about the president speaking to us," she said. "How could anyone object to their sons or daughters being told by the president of the United States to stay in school? That's incredible. Why would anyone take that position?"

I had no answer other than to explain that there are people who see ulterior motives in every action, who believe that no discourse that includes a politician can be honest and most likely hides a conspiracy. That is particularly true if the politician is not one they have supported.

"That's silly and cynical," she said. "What he told us was what our parents -- if they are paying attention to our welfare -- repeat to us every day. There was nothing sinister in it, no hidden message."