Progressive tax
As a Badgers fan and Regent neighborhood resident, I read with interest your article on “The Bucky Economy” (12/10/2015). There seems to be one major difference between the local businesses and the nearby homeowners who profit from game-day festivities and traffic: The businesses are required to pay taxes on their heightened income, while my neighbors near Camp Randall do not.
The tradition of parking on lawns represents a free exchange of goods and services and is not in and of itself problematic; however, I would expect a progressive voice like Isthmus to be more critical of the practice of wealthy homeowners earning thousands in unreported taxable income. Indeed, these famously self-proclaimed progressive neighborhoods should themselves be aware of the issue and more honest with themselves as well as with the IRS.
Margaret Szczykutowicz (via email)
Enlightened ignorance
Re Tell All: “My Co-worker Is a Christian!” (Isthmus.com, 12/20/2015): Imagine the same question with pretty much any belief system other than Christianity and there would be outrage, but the bigoted assumption that Christians are dumb is a-ok in Mad Town. The ignorance that parades itself as enlightenment around here is astonishing.
Cathy Arndt (via Facebook)
Lol. Oh Madison you are a very interesting place.
Pooka Parks (via Facebook)
Memory lane
Sorry, Madison’s first trampoline park was Peppermint Park, just off the Beltline by the Big Sky drive-in (“Ups and Downs,” 12/10/2015).
kmanner (via Comments)
Citizen Chad
Matt Sloan, you’re a remarkable look-alike to the young Orson Welles (“Voice of Vader,” 12/17/2015). If the Vader business ever fades, you could do a touring tribute show to the iconic Orson. Just sayin’. Practice whispering “Rosebud.”
Terry Farley (via email)
Corrections
The sports photo on page 31 of last week’s issue was from the 2014 NCAA basketball tournament game between the Badgers and the Oregon Ducks, not the 2015 tournament. The correct name of the Star Wars production company, mentioned in last week’s cover story, is Lucasfilm, not LucasFilms.
