Cast against the background of the tragic murder of former Saints defensive end Will Smith, discussions of tax measures seem much less important.  There is a fundamental culture of violence that exists in this city which will not go away until the people who find themselves smack in the middle of it decide they will simply not tolerate it any longer.  Until that happens, there will be no meaningful progress in the fight against violent crime in New Orleans.  So, I am going to discuss the failure of the April 9, 2016 tax proposal, but I will be doing so while thinking about Will Smith and all of the other victims of needless violence in the city I choose to call home.

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