What bill in Congress receives both bipartisan backing and support from a majority of House members, but, instead of going to a vote, has been gutted by the leadership, who refuses to allow the unadulterated bill to the floor?

Why, the Internet Tax Freedom Act, of course.

Nearly 240 House members have come out officially supporting a permanent ban on taxing Internet access. But Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Democratic leadership in the House scheduled a vote not for the permanent ban, but for a weaker, four-year extension of the moratorium.

They brow-beat members into signing on to the weaker version, and used every trick in the book to keep the full, widely supported version off the floor.

Why?

The idea of foreswearing a whole domain of tax revenue just eats away at them. Money left in citizens’ pockets? That doesn’t help them spend money, does it?

But tax lust is old hat. The story here is that politicians, within a year of promising a new, open form of bipartisan coöperation, have so obviously squelched any such thing. The leadership of the House has proven tyrannical and as in-groupy and partisan as the last bunch.

Republican Representative Robert W. Goodlatte, who had supported the permanent tax ban, characterized the move as a take-it-or-leave-it demand.

It’s the Congressional leadership that I’d like to take or leave . . . leave behind in history. Term-limited out, perhaps?

This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.