Last week, I blogged about Boston College Professor Ray Madoff’s article in the Atlantic pushing for abolition of the estate tax. Now Professor Madoff is back with a fuller, oral version of her thesis on the popular NYTimes podcast hosted by Ezra Klein: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/17/opinion/ezra-klein-podcast-ray-madoff.html?unlocked_article_code=1.e1A.snvm.ZxAOSpgZAlot&smid=url-share. She explains carefully and without rancor how our tax system allows the wealthiest Americans to avoid taxes simply by not earning income and instead borrowing against their vast wealth without incurring any tax liability at all. As she puts it, “salaries are for suckers.” Don’t miss her conversation with Ezra Klein. We can’t fix our tax system without clear understanding of what’s wrong with it.