I discovered something quite astonishing yesterday. It turns out that it’s all about money. And, no, it’s not about how much each candidate is worth or how much they have in their campaign chest or advertising. It turns out that it’s pretty simple: It’s about how much the voter earns.

In every single primary where an exit poll was conducted, most people making $100,000 or more voted for Romney, and most people making under $100,000 voted for one of the other candidates. On top of that,  far more wealthy people are voting than in previous years, which has tipped the balance in some states.

The people who are voting for Newt Gingrich or Rick Santorum are doing it for conservative moral values, the values we share. The people who are voting for Romney are doing it because they see a candidate who will protect the wealthy.

This tells you a lot about Romney, doesn’t it? If he becomes president, Mittens will make decisions based on what’s good for people like him, rather than based on conservative principles. (As if he really had any of those, anyway!) The fact that the wealthy are turning out in droves proves this, and they’re giving Romney either a win or a good chunk of delegates.

Capitalism has been very good to me. But capitalism does not override my moral principles. Romney’s primary values are about what’s good for the wealthy. So are the values of the people voting for him.

And that’s why we’re losing.

One of the most significant things that Reagan presided over was the 1986 tax reform. Since then, the tax code has been gathering change after random change that leads to confusion, bad policy, hidden spending, and has become something only a high-priced tax attorney can figure out.

I’ve recently been learning a lot about how the tax system works and what needs to be changed by reading a book by one of the chief architects of the 1986 tax reform. He doesn’t use arcane language and not only explains what’s wrong but how to fix it. This guy should be in charge of tax reform no matter who the president it.

The book is called The Benefit and The Burden: Tax Reform-Why We Need It and What It Will Take, and I highly recommend it. Last I looked it was #38 on the Amazon list, so it’s not just economists who are buying it.

I have no financial interest in this book, in case anyone thinks that’s why I’m recommending it.