give me liberty, not more taxes

Some people might think life in a small midwest town is inexpensive. In some ways it is: housing prices are cheaper than in the big cities and free-range chicken eggs purchased from a local farmer can be less expensive than buying corporate-farm eggs from the grocery store. But the sales tax isn't necessarily less than in bigger cities. Our current sales tax rate here in The Small Town is 8.55%. City officials want to increase it to 9.3%. We go to the polls next week to pass or fail the measure.
Politics can also be dirty in a small town. City officials are threatening to increase our property taxes if we the people do not increase the sales tax.
Here's a novel idea: eliminate or decrease funding for non-essential items in the city budget and use that money for needed items.
There is much local opposition to any tax increase.

early Easter colors

This house is a few blocks from ours. I call it the Easter house. Look at the house color, the pink bush by the front porch, the purple redbud tree, the yellow forsythia bushes, and the white tulips. Oh, and the yellow-flowered tree behind it. It's pretty colors all rolled together like Easter eggs in dye baths.