They did that by citing an earlier code-enforcement effort called Problem Properties 2000, in which the city inspectors worked cooperatively with landlords to clean up code violations.

FORBES: Supreme Court Takes Case Where Landlords Claim Discrimination

"The court was sending a message: Don't rely on the courts to clean up the tax code, '" says Lipton, who chairs the American Bar Association's tax section.

FORBES: Windfall

To the rescue come a handful of smart young companies such as Fortify Software, Agitar and Coverity that promise to clean up and strengthen code before it goes out the door.

FORBES: Saving Software From Itself

Our own Steve Forbes has argued that one way to clean up the tax code and expose hidden taxes is through the adoption of a federal "flat" tax, a single rate for individuals and business that would eliminate most of the deductions and exemptions now in place.

FORBES: Magazine Article

Citizens of metro Atlanta experienced their first "code red smog alert" since 2010, according to the Clean Air Campaign, a partnership between employers and the state transportation department.

CNN: SHARE THIS

Clean-tech subsidies would go, but so would subsidies in the tax code that benefit the oil and gas industries.

CNN: Why Mitt Romney is losing

As well as the anti-graft bill, Yoshiro Mori, Japan's unloved prime minister, has been trying to draw up a code of conduct for politicians, which would attempt to get them to clean up their image by, for instance, not visiting brothels.

ECONOMIST: Japan