General Discussion

-- even if only grudgingly -- by people in those states. Is it entirely impossible that we might some day change Americans' appetite?

To some degree, it's all in how we frame things. For a thoughtful person, I'd think "value added" is a far more convincing moniker than "sales tax". Maybe that term is too complex for many -- if not most -- Americans. But taxes really are "value added" whether they are applied to income or purchases. We need to never give in on that specific point ... regardless of current "appetite".

Taxes are also a second order issue. The first order issues are exponential wealth aggregation coupled with the relative wage stagnation. Fix those, and taxes become an issue for far fewer voters. So let's go after the billionaires and, God help us, trillionaires first! They are the boogeymen!

Maybe then the notion of taxes being "value added" becomes palatable.