Inspired by the energy, rhythm and tune of Kristin Andreassen’s Crayola Doesn’t Make the Color of your Eyes or another version from Prairie Home Companion, my friend Joe Johnston wrote this song. Watch one of the videos first! The tune is infectious, and Joe's words communicate the message clearly.
Taxing work does not create....
I went to see the wise one
our town was such a mess
the longest lines to get in
were at the DSS
He said, I cannot cure your town
But here’s something you can do
write a list and flesh it out
Of why your town is in a stew
Well, we build roads; we run the bus,
We try to control crooks.
We build the parks and sidewalks
We give our streets good looks
To do these things, we need some wealth
And so we tax the things we see
We tax the buildings and what you earn
We tax merchants and sellers with a fee.
(refrain)
I guess I realized,
shoulda come as no surprise
that Taxes on work don’t create
a good environment.
What we tax, that we reduce
let’s not kill our jobs,
Taxes on work do not create
a good environment.
We tax the land, that helps ensure
that land is not a wager
It lowers the cost to those who use it
to create more jobs per acre
Collecting land rents means
That the things we as community do
are benefiting everyone and
go to all, not to the few.
And if a person wants to work
she reaps the results of her labor
The benefits of what she does,
Not the out-of-town land speculator
(refrain)
I guess I realized,
shoulda come as no surprise
that Taxes on work don’t create
a good environment.
What we tax, that we reduce
let’s not kill our jobs,
Taxes on work do not create
a good environment.
So maybe we’ll shift the taxes off
The labor you and I do, you see
And put it on the land so none
can squeeze the blood from you and me.
That way they’ll be more jobs for those
who put their backs and brains to work
We wouldn’t have to work so long,
To put a roof and walls on God’s good dirt.
We wouldn’t need two jobs to feed
The mouths that we beget,
To house and clothe them and ourselves
And where we need to go, we’d get.
(refrain)
I guess I realized,
shoulda come as no surprise
that Taxes on work don’t create
a good environment.
What we tax, that we reduce
let’s not kill our jobs,
Taxes on work do not create
a good environment.
A compact town means we could walk around
to get, to shops, to meet, to work for gain
And even walk to parks nearby
where quiet, joy, and beauty reign.
We wouldn’t need a big back yard,
or front ones with their lawns to mow.
We’d have a share in common land,
Where our souls, spirits, and bodies grow.
I think we’ve solved the problem of unemployment lines
of barely earning what we need.
We may not have the harvest yet,
But we have sown the seed.
(refrain)
I guess I realized,
shoulda come as no surprise
that Taxes on work don’t create
a good environment.
What we tax, that we reduce
let’s not kill our jobs,
Taxes on work do not create
a good environment.
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