After years of reading criticism regarding the means by which our municipal revenue is collected and applied, there is one issue absent from the debate: Gratitude. Therefore, I wish to thank my fellow taxpayers for the benefits I enjoy as a result of their participation in our tax system.

Thanks to their participation, I was provided with an education and access to talented teachers, many of whom could have commanded higher salaries in other occupations. As a result, our community is largely comprised of literate, capable adults.

I had access to libraries in both my neighborhood and school. Libraries are not assembled at small expense, and I feel fortunate that the cost was largely borne by the taxpayers or it would have been impossible for me to enjoy them.

Much good fortune is realized in the things that did not happen rather than those that did - the fire that did not occur or the illness that did not develop rarely make the paper. Our unsung public works providers keep it that way at the taxpayers' expense.

Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. said "Taxes are the price we pay for a civilized society." The results of that payment here are remarkable, yet so closely woven into the fabric of our community as to appear invisible. For that, I thank you all.

- Bradley Goldsworthy, Madison

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