Don C. Brunell

Will you celebrate Tax Freedom Day this year?

Until April 24, every penny we’ve earned in 2015 goes to pay your taxes. While this year, national Tax Freedom Day is 114 days into the year, for us in Washington, it won’t arrive until April 29. In 2015, Americans will pay $3.28 trillion in federal taxes and $1.57 trillion in state and local taxes, for a total tax bill of $4.85 trillion. That is a whopping amount, virtually impossible for you and me to grasp.

But think about it this way: If you earned $40,000 a year, it would take you 125 million years to earn $4.85 trillion. Our state ranks 41st...