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Don Taxelloni and His Mob Stage Tax Protest  

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          The Libertarian Party of Jefferson County Kentucky staged an amusing tax protest on April 16, 2001 in front of the county courthouse.  Don Taxelloni (Byron Himmelheber) and his tax mob (Nick Karem and Guillermo Camoriano) emerged from their limousine wearing dark suits and sunglasses, to the theme song from the Sopranos.  They shook down a man on the street (John Kilpatrick), ripping the coat right off of his back in the process of taking his money.  Then, they grabbed a woman (Donna Mancini) and emptied her purse.  Don Taxelloni then proceeded to his throne, where supplicants came to kiss his ring and ask for money.  The first in line was Ed Parker, chair of the Constitution Party, who played the role of J. Bruce Miller, asking for money for an arena.  The Dons felt that J. Bruce had given them the proper respect, so they showered him with money.  Next came a needy person (Sonny Neurath ), asking for money to help his ailing wife.  The Dons refused, since the needy person had not kissed the ring properly or shown the proper respect.  As Don Taxelloni says, "It's who you know, you know?"

          When interviewed later, Mancini said that the purpose of the skit was to have some fun, while pointing out that the government taxing system is not much different from the mob.  Himmelheber offered that the main distinction between the tax men and the mob is that the mob has a code of ethics.