Bay State voters decide this November whether to retire the "Taxachusetts" moniker permanently through Question 1, a ballot initiative that abolishes--not cuts, or tweaks, or trims, but abolishes--the state's income tax. My piece at Forbes.com notes the singular direction of taxes in Massachusetts over the last century, arguing that with the introduction of an income tax, gasoline tax, sales tax, lottery, and cigarette sin-tax to add to the ancient property tax, it's time for Bay Staters to go in the opposite direction and vote goodbye to just one of its many onerous taxes.

From time to time, I lament how this once great nation has fallen. For decades, freedom has decreased as the state increased. Stories like this give some hope to the thought that sweet America can be saved.

If we vote to abolish it (And don't get me wrong, I definitely plan to), won't the legislature just ignore us again?

They'll try to ignore it, but if enough people vote for it and it's clearly a mandate, they may be in for some difficulty dispensing with it.

Bottom line is that Beacon Hill is out of control and a hard message has to be sent. It's a no-brainer for all working Mass. residents to give themselves a tax break/raise.

Remember, proposition 2 1/2 was a successful referendum and the leeches said that the sky would fall with that initiative as well.

Guess what? It didn't.