Barbara Anderson on a nice little conversation she had with Gov. Patrick.

...Gov. Deval Patrick came to Marblehead for one of his community meetings. I was there to take notes for this column so I didn't raise my hand to ask a question. But suddenly I found myself answering one from the governor when he asked for a show of hands on who supports, and who doesn't, a graduated income tax.

I was a definite "doesn't," so to my surprise he walked over to my chair and asked, "Why?"

It's funny how disoriented you can be when someone who is there to answer questions suddenly asks one. I had never met Gov. Patrick, but I'm sure I made an impression by first looking behind me and saying, "Who, me?" and when he nodded, asking "Why what?"

When I finally got around to it, I explained that the grad tax (which would require voter approval for a constitutional amendment) always loses because voters understand how varied rates would allow the Legislature to pick us off one bracket at a time, ratcheting up every two years; and Massachusetts taxes are already the fourth highest in the nation per capita.

"No, they're not," the governor argued.

"Yes, they are," I said. This first meeting was going well.

UPDATE: From Wayne Woodlief, the Herald and the Sun-Chronicle.

SECOND UPDATE: More from the Globe.

THIRD UPDATE: More from the Globe, Herald and WBZ.