John McCain put forth a solidly fiscally conservative economic speech this morning (albeit with a couple populist zingers: "Americans are also right to be offended when the extravagant salaries and severance deals of CEO's --in some cases, the very same CEO's who helped to bring on these market troubles -- bear no relation to the success of the company or the wishes of shareholders.") on the happy occasion of Tax Day. He also took the occasion to draw a strong contrast between himself and the Democratic nominees:

In the same way, many in Congress think Americans are under-taxed. They speak as if letting you keep your own earnings were an act of charity, and now they have decided you've had enough. By allowing many of the current low tax rates to expire, they would impose -- overnight -- the single largest tax increase since the Second World War. Among supporters of a tax increase are Senators Obama and Clinton. Both promise big "change." And a trillion dollars in new taxes over the next decade would certainly fit that description.

Obama and Hillary were so wrapped up in Bittergate that they made little to no tax news today, which worked nicely for McCain. He was the only candidate of the news cycle addressing taxes in a major way on a day when all the newscasts will be focused on tax news. Not a bad break for a guy competing for coverage with the most exciting Dem match-up in decades.

Gallup reported that 52 percent of Americans think their tax bill is too high, a five-percent jump in that figure since 2002. Forty-two percent think it's about right, and a teensy 2 percent think they should pay more. Two percent? Where are all those liberals, pray tell? How do you feel about your bill?

Below, a collection of tax-related links and facts to brighten what I consider to be one of the darker days of the year.

Top 10 songs to prepare file your tax return to.

The good ol' days: "Soon after, Congress enacted a variable income tax rate of between 1 and 7 percent for the highest earners." (1913)

Eat the rich: "Over 25 years, in fact, the percentage of the federal income tax bill paid by the wealthiest Americans has doubled, even as it has shrunk for all others.

The ever-expanding AMT proves why government shouldn't be trusted to run much of anything: "Our nation's middle-class families are now getting hit by this stealth tax and are being forced to pay the price for poor lawmaking.

The media thinks we're all taxed just about right, or just a bit low. Never more than we should be. Nooooo.

"Marriage breakdown costs taxpayers at least $112 billion a year." Fiscal and social cons, unite!

Clinton demands Obama's tax returns.

Cartoons for Tax Day. To try to cheer you up.

Why do the blind get a tax break, and other odd questions about taxes answered.

Who's cheating on their taxes?