Congress Has Too Much Time On It's Hands, $250 Mustache Tax Break

Washington-"A Republican congressman from Maryland is in a hairy situation over a proposal to give tax breaks to Americans with mustaches. The American Mustache Institute claimed Tuesday that Rep. Roscoe Bartlett had lent his support to the `Stache Act, which calls for a tax deduction of up to $250 a year for facial hair grooming. But Bartlett's office said he never supported the measure. Staffers said Wednesday that they only forwarded a copy of the proposal to the House Ways & Means Committee, without the congressman's knowledge, after receiving a media inquiry about it. That led the institute to believe Bartlett, who has long had a mustache, supported the measure. "For the record: Roscoe is pro-stache, but he does not believe Americans should pay for people's personal grooming decisions," Bartlett's chief of staff, Deborah Burrell, said in a statement. So far, no other representatives have supported the mustache proposal. At least one of Bartlett's Republican primary opponents is criticizing him over the facial hair flap. The longtime incumbent faces several challengers in the 6th District, which was redrawn to include more Democratic voters." Source: Mustache bill puts congressman in hairy situation