“Don’t tax you, don’t tax me, tax that fellow behind the tree.” – Russell B. Long _____ Illinois finally passed a budget. Some may consider this a story of triumph and political cooperation, but the fact remains: Illinois is grossly in debt, and this gorilla in the room must be tackled sometime soon. Considering the new tax hike, expect the call for a progressive income tax to reenter Illinois’ legislative arena soon. Progressive income taxes are popular political proposals because they tax a person in a higher-income bracket at a higher rate than someone in a lower-income bracket, which contrasts with Illinois’ current flat-rate income tax system, which will now tax 4.95 percent of all earned income. On its face, this seems fair—the rich can afford to give up more of their income, can they not? But who is “rich?” Taxpayers never seem to ask this question. Americans are notoriously terrible estimators of their socioeconomic status. Survey results will vary somewhat, but a d...