Tax Day 2009

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Dear Fellow Travelers,
Well, it is here once again—Tax Day! Actually, every day is Tax Day, here in America, and from what I can see, it is only going to get worse! I once knew a man, who kept up with every penny (literally) that he spent. He carried a small notebook with him, in which he kept a record of everything he purchased. At any moment, he could tell you exactly how much he had spent for everything from toilet paper to filet mignon (which he didn’t purchase very often); he could even tell you how much he had spent for sales tax, ad valorem tax, gasoline tax, alcohol tax, et al! If he were alive today, he would definitely need a computer, along with an excel worksheet, just to keep up with the various kinds of taxes he would be paying, not to mention, a bottle to Xanax to calm his nerves.
Anyway, I tell you that story, to remind you that should you decide to actually keep up with the total amount of taxes you will pay this year, you would need a special assistant, who devotes all of his/her time to that project, and, I might add, you would need more than one bottle of Xanax to calm your nerves, more like a case of Jack Daniels!
There is a piece of me that wants to say that I really don’t mind paying taxes, but that “piece” of me is a liar—a bald faced liar! If I had a choice, I would much prefer taking whatever amount of money I will have paid in taxes for 2008 and burning it in my front yard; at least, I would be in agreement with what was happening to it.
The way I see it, it will not be much longer before the amount of taxes we are paying will prevent most of us from being able to maintain our standards of living. In other words, it will be very difficult for anyone to pay his/her present mortgage and car payment, purchase clothes, groceries, and gasoline, tithe, AND pay the amount of taxes that will be levied. I really do not believe that any of us really realize the level of deceit that is being carried out by both our state and federal governments. The fact is this: I do mind paying taxes, and contrary to what you are probably thinking, I do because I love America—the America in which I grew up, the America that provided me the opportunity to pursue my dreams, the America that treasured family, the America that valued Christianity, the America that believed hard work was a thing of honor, the America that thrived on “mom and pop” businesses, the America that did not believe that everyone is entitled to a certain standard of living, the America that did not believe that everyone is entitled to health insurance, and the America that did not believe that laziness, slothfulness, and lawlessness should be rewarded.
Yes, it is Tax Day 2009—HALLELUJAH!!

PS: I do have two suggestions: (1) The next time elections roll around, let us clean house—thoroughly; and (2) Sooner, rather than later, let us insist on eliminating the present Tax Code, along with the IRS, and beginning again, with something that is reasonable and understandable for all—fair tax, flat tax, anything but what he have.