The economic riddle for 2018: Will the middle and working classes see any gains from the big tax cut?

The U.S. economy was the feel-good story of 2017 - the pace of real economic growth rising strongly and the stock market playing out a euphoric high. Corporate profits are at a record high and job growth is moving toward the level that economists consider full employment.

But that came among many feel-bad subtexts. President Trump and congressional Republicans worked hard to undermine the Affordable Care Act. They failed to enact a long-term reauthorization of the Children's Health Insurance Program, which provides coverage for 9 million low-income children and pregnant women.

Trump introduced an almost medieval hostility to science into government policies on environmental regulation, climate change and programs aimed at stemming teen pregnancy and providing contraceptives to women at no charge. That approach to governing will make some of its consequences known in 2018, but could also have an impact on