The trip may have been relatively uneventful, but as far as official state visits go, that was exactly what American and Chinese officials were hoping for.  President Hu Jintao of China and US President Obama met in Washington last week, agreeing on some issues (e.g., the need for the militaries of the 2 countries to work together in the Asia-Pacific region), disagreeing on other topics (e.g., China's currency policy), but most importantly maintaining future lines of communication (source: White House).  
 

The overhaul of the US tax code has been a frequently-used lightning rod on the campaign trail by politicians for many years.  That rhetoric has not translated into any substantive action on tax reform by Congress in 25 years.  The House Ways and Means Committee, the congressional committee where all tax modifications must begin, held its first meeting on the subject last Thursday (1/20/11), vowing that the time for change is now.  Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-MI) opened the meeting by stating the obvious: "Clearly, the tax code is too complex, too costly, and takes too much time to comply with.  I am under no illusion that the task before us will be easy" (source: Congress).

President Obama will be in the spotlight on Tuesday night (1/25/11) when he delivers the State of the Union address, his 3^rd since his January 2009 inauguration.  His talk will likely include a call for some additional government spending (designed to stimulate our economy), while at the same time emphasizing the need for significant cuts in our nearly $4 trillion annual budget (source: White House).