The man, Andy Brack, president of a Charleston, S.C., think tank called the Center for a Better South, was making the rounds last week talking about taxes. Essentially, his group has recently completed a study about progressive tax reform in the South and he was evangelizing a bit from the study. Much of what the study proposes as necessary changes do make a little sense: 4Raise Mississippi&8217;s lowest in the nation cigarette tax to the national average. Check. Seems logical. 4Broaden the sales tax base by eliminating the exemptions that simply don&8217;t make sense. Check. Again, seems smart. 4Offer earned income tax credits where they are not already offered. Check. We&8217;re in. Makes sense to us, too. OK, so even some stranger from South Carolina can point out the obvious holes in the system. The real challenge is in making the old, decrepit system change for the better. Only the Legislature &8212; prodded along by taxpayers such as you &8212; can do that. Let&8217;s hope our South Carolina visitor comes back for a visit as the new session begins in January.