It’s the lynchpin of his plan: Paul Ryan wants to tax imports a trillion dollars over ten years so he can cut corporate taxes and income taxes an equal amount.

It sounds straightforward. But there is an odd missing piece.

A trillion dollars over ten years is $100 billion a year – and, in years past, Conservative Congressmen would have been roaring, Raise taxes? Why not cut spending 3% instead?  They would have stood up for less government.

But those days are gone.

Today no one says a word.