Massachussets May End Income Tax
A Massachussetts ballot initiative to abolish that state's income tax is at 37% in the polls, despite an avalanche of hostile press coverage. And election day is still three months away.

"Should it pass, the state's annual budget would shrink from $23 billion to $14 billion, effectively mandating a less intrusive, more streamlined, more responsive state government. On average, it'd give the average resident of the state an extra $3,000 to throw back into the economy. Of course, those who have the most to lose if the referendum passes - politicians and bureaucrats - are predicting Armageddon. Note the state rep who says the measure could turn the state into 'the Idaho of the East Coast.' What's wrong with that?" says web pundit Radley Balko in this lengthy essay that's well worth reading.

Balko says the initiative "is polling at about 37%, a pretty remarkable number considering that we're talking about Massachusetts. And it's quickly gaining momentum in a state rife with government waste and mismanagement." We in Tennessee know how they feel.

Here's a Boston Globe story on the tax repeal measure.