If, like me, you’re tired of hearing about landings at Tuzla, sermons from Jeremiah Wright and the other assorted nonsense that candidates for the White House feed us (I don’t blame reporters–they have to cover the story put in front of them), here’s a pleasant diversion. John O. Fox, who wrote an exhaustive (but not at all exhausting) critique of the federal income tax called If Americans Really Understood the Income Tax, has released his 10 Tax Questions the Candidates Don’t Want You to Ask. Each question serves as a primer on federal tax policy, with links to references, data sources, and easy to understand explanations.

Fox asks about the McMansion tax break, why the tax code ensures that the poor get the poorest childcare, and the tax treatment of pensions. He proposes some of his own solutions to the questions he raises — it would be nice to hear how congressional and presidential candidates would do the same.

He also offers some wonderful quotes on taxes throughout, including this one from former IRS Commissioner Sheldon Cohen: “The tax code, once you get to know it, embodies all the essence of life: greed, politics, power, goodness, charity.” Indeed, and Fox’s site proves it.