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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>I’ve been more or less living in <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Urbana</st1:place></st1:City> for the last year,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span class=GramE><font size=2 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>intending</span></font></span><font
size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'> an
indefinite residency.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>The News-Gazette has become a daily with me.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>It’s not a bad newspaper,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span class=GramE><font size=2 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>just</span></font></span><font
size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'> one run
with some biases.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span class=GramE><font size=2 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>Evidence.</span></font></span><font
size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'><span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span><span class=GramE>It’s</span>
everyday printed.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Take Sunday’s headline story by John Kasich.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>The body of the story was sensible,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span class=GramE><font size=2 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>after</span></font></span><font
size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'> you got
past the misleading leads,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span class=GramE><font size=2 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>and</span></font></span><font
size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'> ignored the
lop-sided comments about taxes,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span class=GramE><font size=2 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>and</span></font></span><font
size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'> the
objectless objections to “spending too much” --<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span class=GramE><font size=2 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>the</span></font></span><font
size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'> income
taxes of <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Illinois</st1:place></st1:State>,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span class=GramE><font size=2 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>the</span></font></span><font
size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'> ones we
should have raised long ago,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span class=GramE><font size=2 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>to</span></font></span><font size=2
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'> pay the debts we
were incurring,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span class=GramE><font size=2 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>much</span></font></span><font
size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'> of which we
owe to those who were or are employed by <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Illinois</st1:place></st1:State>.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>We finally raised them, as we had to do –<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span class=GramE><font size=2 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>And which only a fool (<span
class=SpellE>ie</span>, a Republican, perhaps) would deny.</span></font></span><font
size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>But, the way Kasich started his article is what concerns me,
for its misleading, thus deceiving, emphases.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>He mentions a woman, with gross income of $30,000,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Paying state taxes of $560, and suggests her taxes will rise
by $840.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Well, that’s misleading.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Her taxable state income couldn’t have been more<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Than 3% divided into $560, or something like $18670 –<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>And hence, 2% more is just about $373/year –<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span class=GramE><font size=2 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>Or maybe $7.20 a week…</span></font></span><font
size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Not nearly even half as bad as Kasich portrayed her plight.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Yes, it is painful to pay taxes, and the more they are, the
greater the pain.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>But, taxes are just, if they pay a fair share.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><font size=2
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>Illinois</span></font></st1:place></st1:State><font
size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'> could be
more just if it were to tax progressively,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span class=GramE><font size=2 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>So that the rich pay a higher
percentage than the poor…</span></font></span><font size=2 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>On the theory that greater disposal income is a luxury,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span class=GramE><font size=2 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>to</span></font></span><font size=2
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'> be higher taxed,
justly, or else the money just goes to waste in frivolous choices.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>So, that’s my rant.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Not at all poetic, this kind of justice.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>I’ll brood on that, my lack of artistry,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Maybe even rise to a higher plane,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>And wax “poetic” if ever I can.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
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