"Unjust and Immoral"

"Unjust and immoral" is how a retired Berea College professor described Kentucky's soak-the-poor tax system to the Blue Ribbon Commission on Tax Reform in Lexington tonight.

"Low-income families are paying eleven percent in state taxes while the rich pay six percent," he said. In a plea for taxes on pensions, he said "I am embarrassed I don't pay my fair share."

Beyond a few voices making strong cases for progressive taxation, it was mostly the whiskey-mongers versus the children.

Several proponents of early-childhood intervention and literacy programs spoke passionately of how programs like Save the Children make a permanent difference in the lives of impoverished Kentucky children, moving the audience to applause and cheers that Lt. Gov. Jerry Abramson slapped down hard.

"This is a hearing, not a rally," he snapped peevishly. No, Jer - it's a fucking farce.

Exhibit A being at least three representatives from bourbon distillers demanding the end of the terroristically confiscatory barrel tax.

I laughed out loud when one actually threatened to leave the state if the barrel tax weren't eliminated. I wanted to shout "Go ahead, motherfucker - you'll never distill another ounce of bourbon again." Because, of course, nothing distilled outside the state of Kentucky can legally be labeled "bourbon."

There were the usual special-interest business pleaders: the freakazoid wanting tax dollars for his church school, realtors, manufactured homes, restaurants, and unspecified "small business" and "economic developers" all claiming taxes on them would bring on Apocalypse. There was even one lonely and deeply confused flat-taxer who seemed to think the most regressive of all tax systems would actually help poor people.

But the only cheers went to the brave citizens demanding justice for Kentucky's working poor. And it was only those advocates for working families who offered to pay their fair share.

"We are willing to pay more for an educated workforce and strong infrastructure."