LP Illinois News - April 2009 #2
Taxpayers Lament
Our thanks to Jim Waldron for providing this timely poem.
Tax his land, Tax his wage,
Tax his bed in which he lays.
Tax his tractor, Tax his mule,
Teach him taxes are the rule.
Tax his cow, Tax his goat,
Tax his pants, Tax his coat.
Tax his ties, Tax his shirts,
Tax his work, Tax his dirt.
Tax his tobacco, Tax his drink,
Tax him if he tries to think.
Tax his booze, Tax his beers,
If he cries, Tax his tears.
Tax his bills, Tax his gas,
Tax his notes, Tax his cash.
Tax him good and let him know
That after taxes, he has no dough.
If he hollers, Tax him more,
Tax him 'til he's good and sore.
Tax his coffin, Tax his grave,
Tax the sod in which he lays.
Put these words upon his tomb,
"Taxes drove me to my doom!"
And when he's gone, we won't relax,
We'll still be after the inheritance tax!
Taxation 101
Cook County Board President Todd Stroger was recently asked on the John Williams WGN radio show whether it was unfair to keep targeting smokers with tax increases. His response was an illuminating piece of political candor:
That is the American way. I've been in three taxing bodies. And the way that it's generally done is, you find some group that's small enough where they can't beat you up, and you tax them and you tell everybody else, "See? We didn't tax you."
When you are looking to find out how something is done, just ask a pro.
Our thanks to Eric Zorn for reporting this political lesson.
Take a Stand
To speak out against tax schemes like the above, participate in one of the many Tea Parties around the state on April 15. See the TaxDayTeaParty. com website for location and time details. In Vandalia, Jan Stover, the LP Illinois Campaigns Chair and Nathan Dothanger, the Chair of the Bond-Fayette Libertarians, will speak, so if you live nearby, come out and cheer.
If you can't get away in the middle of the week, there is another Tea Party opportunity brewing. July 4th falls on a Saturday this year and more demonstrations are being planned. If you would like to get involved, contact the LP Illinois coordinator for the Independence Day protest, Kent McMillen, at PR@LPIllinois. org.
Election Results
The only way we're going to make real change in the tax laws is to get more Libertarians elected to office. The LP Illinois is grateful for the hard work of the Illinois Libertarians who ran campaigns in the April election:
- Michael Fogelsanger ran a strong campaign and received a great endorsement from the Sycamore Firefighters, but unfortunately did not win a spot on the Sycamore City Council. Visit him at MikeForSycamore.com.
- Chuck Ingersoll gained 40% of the vote for Township Assessor of St. Charles--so close to a victory. You can thank Chuck for running and encourage him to run again at 847-742-9079.
- Chris Jenner won re-election for his 3rd term with 20.8% of the vote for the Cary D-26 School Board. Follow up with Chris at www.ChrisJenner.org.
- E. Wayne Johnson achieved 22% of the vote for 2nd place in a 3-way race for Urbana City Council. Contact him through his website, Liberty4Urbana.com.
- Bill Stephens won a spot on the Dundee Township Library District Board with 27% of the vote. You can congratulate him at WStephen60@aol.com.
Our thanks also to the many people who supported these campaigns, voted for our candidates, and furthered our progress on the quest for liberty.
Chris Jenner and Bill Stephens join David Kelley, Kathy Kelley, Jerry Kohn, Kim Sullivan, and Charles Sila as current Libertarian officeholders in Illinois. We are grateful to all of them for putting liberty in action within their communities.
You can join them. Aim for a local office such as school board or library district, city and county positions, or all the way up to the next governor of Illinois. Julie Fox has already announced that she is running for State Comptroller in 2010 and we must fill the rest of the statewide slate: Governor, Lt. Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, and Treasurer. If you are considering running a campaign at any level, please contact Jan Stover, our Campaigns chair, by emailing Campaigns@LPIllinois.org.
With the story of our last two governors fresh in voters' minds, now is the time for radical, Libertarian change in Illinois. We can make it happen together.
Got News?
Have a great photo from a tax protest? A comment on politics in Illinois? A campaign announcement? We want to hear from you. Send your libertarian news to News@LPIllinois.org.