This CNN Money story lists the top ten degree programs that the private sector will want next year.

No, political science isn't among them. Neither is journalism. Or philosophy.

Number one - accounting! Boy, those accountants, they get all the breaks. I found this odd, though I shouldn't have. Look at the want ads. Everybody's looking for an accountant.

I think that's one of the great unreported angles of the "tax reform" idea. One of the arguments in favor of tax simplification is that Americans won't have to spend billions on accounting anymore. Let's just say for a moment that Bush succeeds in abolishing the tax code in favor of a flat income tax or a national sales tax. Whaddayawanna bet accounting won't be in the top ten anymore?

I know there's other links out there, but you're all smart people, and if you're interested, you'll find them yourself. Here is a link to FairTax.org, a group dedicated to the national sales tax. And here is an Andrew Sullivan column (yes, I've resumed reading him - I just skip the posts about the war) that focuses more on the flat tax.

A brief excerpt:

The politician who allows every citizen to fill out her tax form on a postcard with a simple calculator will become one of the most popular in history.