adrian_turtle

Nothing on either side was said
They knew they had but to stay their stay
And all their logic would fill my head:
As that I had no right to play
With what was another man's work for gain.
My right might be love, but theirs was need.
And where the two exist in twain
Theirs was the better right, agreed.

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is short of money these days. Desperately short of money. Between unfunded mandates from the federal government, politically motivated tax cuts, and the rising costs of everything they need to buy to do the most ordinary kinds of business, they're awfully pinched. (Unfortunately, they don't respond by cutting the programs I wish they'd cut. Either they cut across the board, or they'd rather fire teachers and social workers than cops and PR specialists. Who would you rather have upset with you?)

Anyhow, Massachusetts is asking for money. The standard income tax is 5.3% of your income (as adjusted with various deductions.) There's a check-box on the tax return, inviting people to calculate the tax using the old rate of 5.85%, if you want to pay more tax and help the poor state. I calculated my taxes both ways, and went so far as to dither for a few minutes, "It isn't really all THAT much more money. Less than a weekend with Stephen. I ought to do something for the state, especially the Mass Rehab Commission, which was so helpful to me and got clobbered in the budget cuts."

Then I realized what Our Fair Commonwealth will be doing between now and tax time. There's a constitutional convention going on. There are a lot of people (including the governor) who think symbolic statements of exclusion and bigotry are more important than anything else a legislature might be doing. I can try to justify it in terms of leverage and good political strategy. But the heart of the matter is that I don't WANT to give these people a nickel I don't have to.

If you feel strongly about this, and you haven't paid your MA taxes yet, you might want to contact your representatives and tell them you're thinking of paying the higher tax, but you won't if they pass a constitutional amendment you don't like. It's much less extreme than refusing to pay taxes if they do something appalling, but there are a lot of us, and small gestures add up. And they do seem to be offering us a well-timed, polite, invitation to pay more or less tax depending on whatever reasons we like.

Only where love and need are one
And the work is play for mortal stakes
Is the deed ever really done
For Heaven and the future's sakes.

(Edit: the poem is by Robert Frost. Someone in the lab is from away, and isn't familiar with his poetry, which reminds me there are people in the world, even reading my LJ, who don't have this hovering in the backs of their minds every spring. [And "Woods on a Snowy Evening" every winter.])