so this evening I was settling down with a glass of wine and some crackers with EZ cheese. Its not the fanciest wine in the world and the only other type of cheese I have in the house is vegan, so EZ cheese wins (though now I am thinking that its probably not even real cheese, but whatever).
So I'm taking a break from folding clothes when my wonderful dad sends me an e-mail about how Obama is going to tax all home greater than 2400 sq ft.
now, a couple of things:
1) My dad is amazing and I love him a lot.. but I do recall several years of my life where he kept referring to Bill Clinton as "and do you know what your president clinton just did?" Suffice to say, we aren't exactly on the same political bandwagon.
2) this kind of e-mail really pisses me off cause I can tell its some kind of insidious message that says, "let's stop being rational and start getting scared. Don't you like your money? Money is good! Obama wants to take your money away! Obama BAD. (sorry Dad, but I am happy to take your advice on anything else).
So then I fire off this snappy little e-mail to my father (sorry again Dad) suggesting that responsible people pay taxes for the greater good of the community. And no sooner that after hitting send, hindsight hits like a tonne of bricks.
I have no idea where my tax money goes. I hope it goes to pay for school teacher salaries and disaster relief and policemen and new roads... but somehow, in my heart, I have feeling that it doesn't really. Somewhere, I suspect it actually pays for overpriced government contracts and unregulated congressional spending that I really can't think too much about before I get really angry.
but our forefathers paid taxes. we have an independent country because of taxes. and yet, why do I feel that paying taxes is like being in a really shitty large corporation where the executives are making out like bandits??
damn... the wine is making me maudlin.
(yes yes, i know this entry was supposed to be about Fu Manchu.. maybe later)
note* The lovely and intelligent fratchling (see comment below) sent me this link to the Treasury Press Room featuring Budget Results for 2008
Comments (1)
The IRS website has a piechart somewhere, showing where all that money goes. A big percentage is defense related, but your Dad should be happy to know that you care to support such a worthy cause with your taxes.
I got a similar forwarded e-mail last week, about the Federal Reserve, and I sent back a link to some article from The Economist. Then I instantly felt really really guilty. My friend is too dumb to understand the article, or how the Fed works, but she might have picked up on the malice intended in the response. It felt like I had just kicked a baby or something.
---author response----
my dad sent me this really p.o.'d e-mail response. Mom, if you read this, don't tell him I made it a blog entry!!
Posted by fratching | 24. Øíjen 2008 12:15
Posted on 24. Øíjen 2008 12:15