Tax Day should always be Patriots' Day

Today is Patriots' Day. Well, it's "Patriots' Day" in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and "Patriot's Day" in Maine. The other 48 states don't seem to care. Besides the annual 10:05 AM Red Sox game at Fenway and running of the world's greatest road race, Patriot's Day also commemorates the Battles of Lexington and Concord. These were the first battles of the American Revolution when the colonial revolutionaries (a/k/a Rebels, Insurgents or Freedom Fighters depending on the news cycle and your personal politics) rose up to protest a variety of taxes and other laws imposed on them by the British Parliament and Monarchy.

Today also happens to be Tax Day. It was pushed from April 15th this year due to the celebration of Emancipation Day in DC.

It seems like a great idea, whatever your politics, to think about this chain of events. Last Friday the good people of the District of Columbia, who still lack true representation in Congress, celebrated the emancipation of the District's slaves. Today the good people of Massachusetts and Maine celebrate the first shots of the Revolution. And today we all very consciously must consider the cost of our government and the choices we make collectively as we write tax checks or collect refunds.

Together we make these decisions. Together we fund the great American experiment. And together we choose where to spend and how to live. Together: indepenendent of any foreign power, free and equal.

Happy Tax Day, everyone. Let's spend it wisely.