Groundhog Day Eve

'T was the day before Groundhog,
And all through the town,
All the people were agog
About the weather that's been goin' down:
Temperatures are up, so no snow plowin' !
For more than a month it's been above normal,
What if the Punxsy Phil the Groundhog sees its shadow?
Will March mean picnics in a flower meadow?

A few links and it's a ploem.

Tax talk

If you have this Friday off, or don't have a job, or have flexible hours, coupled with a desire to learn more about taxation in Illinois, then drive 20 mph on campus to Student Center Ballroom B, between 8 and noon, to hear a panel discuss “Real Needs and Red Ink -- How Do We Fund Vital Services in Illinois?” keynoted by Ralph Martire, executive director of The Center for Tax and Budget Accountability, brought to you by the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute.

Matt Gardner, one of the panelists, thinks 2006 will be a big year for talk, if not action, on tax reform issues in Illinois. Anyone who attends will get an earful on the politics of state tax reform in Illinois, and learn what economists think are the best tax reform options for the state if the goals are adequacy and fairness. Gardner is State Tax Policy Director with the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy.