<HTML><BODY STYLE="font:10pt verdana; border:none;"><P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman">I am deeply sympathetic to Debbie's desire to talk about something other than Doug Wilson's tax troubles.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>As Rose Huskey's unpaid social secretary, I have answered countless phone calls this week from reporters, interested citizens, accountants, professors, pharmacists, politicians, butchers, bakers, candlestick makers and just plain-old adoring fans.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>It's like interning for a cross between Condoleeza Rice and Britney Spears.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>I was thinking I might buy Rose a red power suit and a Mr. Microphone and book her a gig at Rendezvous in the Park.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>("What a girl wants, what a girl needs, is for Doug to pay his taxes . . . money, please!")<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></FONT></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3> </FONT></o:p></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>Doug Jones is free to dismiss this as small town politics, and Doug Wilson can try to blame his bete noir, The Daily News (why?<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Have they retained Bob Woodward?<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Is Vera White secretly <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:Street><st1:address>Lois Lane</st1:address></st1:Street>?<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>I thought I saw Margot Kidder coming out of Bookpeople), but there's a grass roots movement afoot here.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>It's the everyone-should-pay-their-fair-share movement.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Property taxes have gone up all over the county, and <st1:City><st1:place>Moscow</st1:place></st1:City> businesses in particular have felt the pinch.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Meanwhile, Doug has been running a million-dollar-a-year vanity press out of tax-exempt Anselm House.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>It's nice that he's offered to "give" the county some do-re-mi should he win his appeal, but I'd rather he just paid what he owes.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>This is <st1:place><st1:PlaceName>Latah</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType>County</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>, not <st1:place><st1:PlaceName>Hazzard</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType>County</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Until we're under the governance of Boss Hogg and Roscoe P. Coltrane, we need to continue to recognize the distinction between a debt and a bribe.</FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3> </FONT></o:p></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>Now, for Debbie's sake and for mine -- Ted, would you please tell us more about Jane Siberry?<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Or, if we really want to stir up a hornets' nest, we could all consider the following proposition: </FONT><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>Canadians are way cooler than Americans, yes or no?<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>They have national health care.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>They sell milk in a bag.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>They gave us William Shatner.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>What about it?</FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3> </FONT></o:p></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>Yours sincerely,</FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>Daisy Duke</FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>(AKA </FONT><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA">Joan Opyr/Auntie Establishment)</SPAN></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA"></SPAN> </P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA">PS: Boss Dougg has kind of a ring to it . . . like when you drop a nickel into a toilet bowl. Ding, ding, splash. </SPAN></P></BODY></HTML><br clear=all><hr>Get more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download : <a href='http://explorer.msn.com'>http://explorer.msn.com</a><br></p>