As the Dayton administration focuses on tax reform, Minnesota needs to broaden its purview beyond income taxes and also reform our property-tax system.

Minnesota has one of the most regressive property tax systems in the country. For the first time, with our Democratic majority and Democratic governor, we have a chance to create a fair and equitable tax system that is streamlined and less costly and cumbersome.

My hope is that the DFL and all Minnesotans will get behind and support the passage of tax reform that assesses property taxes based on household income rather than property values. Property values are set by county staffers as best guesstimates, vary wildly from neighborhood to neighborhood and have been shown to not be tied to the actual market. The result is an economic travesty for many families and the elderly. The hardest hit are homeowners who are poor and lower-middle-class, on fixed incomes or working low-wage jobs in a city short on jobs, while the wealthiest in St. Paul and across the state don't bear their equitable share of the burden to run state and local governments.

The only truly equitable and courageous tax reform must look beyond income taxes and radically change how we assess property taxes so that each person's share is based on their ability to pay. Minnesota's elected majority has an ethical and moral responsibility to make real "total tax reform" happen. No excuses.

Rev. Christopher Jack Conner, St. Paul

Pass GO, collect $150

Many readers are familiar with Monopoly.


Every time you pass GO, the game bank rewards players with $200. Players use this to pay rent, buy, sell and improve properties.

Regarding the Nov. 12 front-page article "You know that 'fiscal cliff' everyone's talking about?": To highlight what that means in terms of Monopoly, every time you pass GO, the government will take a cut of the $200 you were entitled to and you wind up with less to play the game.

By way of an example, supposing the government took away $50 every time you passed GO. Would players play Monopoly as they normally would with $150 on each round? Would there be enough to pay rent? Would players still be able to buy, sell and make improvements to their properties? Would players make several rounds of the board before they would be comfortable spending their money? Would the game take longer because it takes longer to accumulate cash necessary to buy and improve properties?

The game strategy would likely change and players would probably be frustrated with how slow it will become. They may quit the game earlier than normal; it would be a waste of time to play.

This is what the "Fiscal Cliff" would do to our overall economy. The government would suck up a large part of taxpayers' disposable income, which is currently being used to prop up our economy with spending, whether it is consumer goods and services, rent and investments of all kinds. Only the very wealthiest of Americans will continue to play their game on their own terms, while the average Americans would be discouraged or precluded from investing in the game of their own lives.

If our Congress and president don't act with expediency, diligence, wisdom and forethought, I believe our country will suffer an economic crash of major proportions. This really is a serious matter that needs our attention.

Barry Siebert, St. Paul