The line is open. Closing out…

*TAX THE POOR: John Lyon of the Arkansas News Bureau reports on right-wing fringe candidate for governor Curtis Coleman unveiling his new tax plan: 

When asked in an interview how he justified changes that would raise taxes on the poorest Arkansans, Coleman said, “If they do, I’ve missed that.”

After being shown that his plan would raise taxes on some people by nearly 150 percent in the first year, Coleman said, “I would expect we would repair and change (that) before we did the actual proposal. It was certainly an unintended consequence and an oversight on my part, definitely not an intention to increase anybody’s taxes.”

Oops! In addition to raising poor people’s taxes (well, at least until Coleman comes up with a fix, apparently in the works), the plan features this bit of voo-doo, Lyon reports:

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Coleman maintained that the tax break would cost the state nothing because it would go to companies that do not exist in Arkansas now.

*FRESH CANDY: If you haven’t stopped by the Rock Candy blog lately, go check it out. Our new arts editor Will Stephenson has been doing a bang-up job. A few highlights: the latest on the lost Johnny Cash oeuvre…the premiere of Little Rock rapper Pepperboy’s new mixtape the final drag shows at Miss Kitty’s Saloon — with a photo essay by Matt Amaro and a behind-the-scenes look from longtime performer and advocate Sandy Sarlo (Justin Case)…and much more. Go hop on over. 

*HOBBY LOBBY: For those following Sebelius v. Hobby Lobby — the case before the Supreme Court involving whether for-profit corporations can cite religious beliefs to keep from providing contraception coverage to their employees — don’t miss Dahlia Lithwick’s masterful play-by-play of the oral arguments over at Slate. Lithwick is not optimistic: 

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The rights of millions of women to preventive health care and workplace equality elicit almost no sign of sympathy or solicitude from the right wing of the bench today. Nor does the possibility that religious conscience objections may soon swallow up the civil rights laws protecting gay workers, women, and other minorities. Religious freedom trumps because we’re “only” talking about birth control.

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