The article's first example is of a person using a metaphor common to the ex-Mormon community about breaking "the shelf". "The shelf" is where the facts that bring one to question church doctrine go to be explained (or not) later.
Economically, the fairest tax system is one that does not affect people's behavior. The most straightforward means of doing this is a head tax, but that's not politically feasible. The best thing to do is a sales tax on price inelastic things.