Reading time when reading this diary aloud is 10 minutes.
For those in a hurry I've bolded the most critical comments.
Bitch, bitch, bitch. Whine, whine, whine. What a bunch of ingrates.
Wealthy Americans should enjoy paying taxes even more than I do. The drawback for me is that I'm not wealthy. Yet, I still enjoy paying taxes. No, I’m not off my medication. If I was, I would be writing this from institutional confinement. I'm not. At least I'm not aware of it. It is more likely my contrarian nature. When I hear large numbers of people spouting slogans, ideologies, or beliefs, I immediately get suspicious and suspicion leads to that dreaded human act - thinking. Therein lies the rub because I am immediately swimming upstream battling current thought. I have to face it; I’ve little self control. So, off I go thinking and/or researching to the degree that my capabilities allow.
In some cases I find that the crowd was spouting truth or at least partial or relative truth or an approximation of the truth, and with a little adjustment it might be acceptable. In other cases I discover that they are just spouting slogans, distortions, lies or ideas that have little thought behind them. Sometimes they are, for their own benefit, just catering to the mob’s lesser nature and instincts like selfishness, ego, hate, prejudice, fear, self-righteousness or general meanness. When that happens, I have an uncontrollable urge to spout my contrarian view.
That contrarian nature popped up again after hearing one politician after another say, in one way or another, that, "Everyone hates to pay taxes." My reaction should have been, "Right. I hear that. Right on." (Uh-oh, 60s flashback.) But being a contrarian, I asked myself, "Do you hate to pay taxes?" The contrarian answer was "No." Really, I do not hate to pay taxes. In fact, I hate it so little that I can honestly say that, I enjoy paying taxes. That’s right politicians, especially neocons and Republicans, unlike you and your supporters and probably a lot of other people, I enjoy paying taxes. It’s not that hard. The monthly deductions have made it a rather painless process and because I always overpay, I get money back that I can put aside to help pay my property tax. I treat it as if I found a twenty in a suit coat. It might be a sick logic, but it’s mine, and I’ve grown fond of it.
My sickness goes beyond that; I also have a different outlook than some people, maybe most people, on voting for bond issues. Here’s my logic. California has a lot of bonds and referendums on which to vote; however, I do not consider whether or not my taxes will go up, I only look at whether it is a worthwhile use of the money. It isn’t as crazy as it sounds. When they say that the bond issue will cost the taxpayers $300 million dollars over five years, I assume that I will not be paying the whole thing myself. If California’s adult tax payer population is approximately 25 million (it's a guess), it comes out to $12 over five years if it is divided equally. That would be $2.40 a year. Since I make a relatively good income, I would have to pay more; so, I’ll pump it up to $3.25. That means I’ll have to come up with 27 cents every month (couch change, okay couch and car) for my share of the $300 million bond. Even if I add up all of the worthwhile bonds, my taxes in a given year might be $50 more. That would be $4.17 a month. Even if it’s $100 for my share, it would be $8.33 a month. Please don't quibble with the math; I'm working on half a cylinder.
Now, obviously federal income tax is much more than that, but there are a few things that you might consider before automatically complaining that taxes are too high or that any tax is too much. Wealthy people, ask yourself this, "If you were living in another country, how much would you be willing to pay each month to live in the United States?" Or, if you had to bid (based on a percentage of future earnings) against other bidders to be a resident of the United States and have the chance to earn over $250,000, what percentage would you be willing to bid? What is it worth to live like people who earn $250,000 a year?
Americans just have to look at what they get for the taxes that they pay or what they would lose if there were no taxes to pay for them. So doing away with just some of the things, let’s see what would be lost.
- National security.
- A defense that is second to none.
- Airports.
- National Parks.
- Environmental Protection. Clean air, water, etc.
- Safety regulations for cars, etc.
- Roads and bridges, ports, transportation.
- Stop signs, traffic lights, lighted streets - geeze - streets and all traffic and street signs.
- Sidewalks, cross walks
- Sewers.
- Trash pickup
- Land fills
- Water lines. Water treatment plants.
- Electricity.
- Public transportation.
- Public Schools, Public Universities and Colleges, Community Colleges
- Police.
- Firemen.
- Forestry Fire Fighters.
- Courts.
- Prisons.
- Social Security.
- Medicare.
- Unemployment checks when you lose your job.
- Construction and building codes
- Voting.
- Relief funds for catastrophes like Katrina, tornados, earthquakes, floods, fires, Etc.
Those are just a few and there are thousands more that the state, the county, and the city provide.
If purchased individually, those services would be beyond the ability of most Americans to pay, and for every person who cannot afford the services the cost would go up for the remaining people. Welcome to socialism; try to function without it.
But almost all Americans say, "They waste our taxes." Is that true? Yes. There are plenty of examples. However, do you waste money? Look, I have a razor that never gets any duller; it came so dull I couldn’t use it. I also have a scratch removing kit that fades the paint as it removes the scratch, and a dent remover that sucked the paint off as it pulled the dent partially out. I have household appliances that I never use, and magazine subscriptions that I never read. I have ice skates that I’ve used twice. DVDs that I've played once. An exercise gym that I know is in the corner of the garage somewhere. And guess what, I'll get another "good" idea this year and buy some more stuff that will go to waste.
Do businesses waste? Ask the workers. There are padded expense accounts, huge salaries, golden parachutes, and other perks that executives get. Just take a trip to the ( AFLCIO Executive PayWatch Database page). And then read the AP article by Madlen Read, Wall Streeters see pay as "right". (By the way, if politicians really wanted to control excessive executive compensation all they would to do is raise the taxes on excessive amount to 99.99%. That would make the excessive compensation pointless. Taxes on the highest earnings of the wealthiest Americans has been as high as 91%.)
Do workers waste? Hell yes. They waste too - simple things, but they mount up. By nature most humans are not frugal. We waste; hell, look at what we have done to the resources of the planet.
Centuries ago Americans screamed that there should be "No taxation without representation." Well, Americans have representation. Yet, many are still screaming. What are they screaming about now? Do they want, "No taxation with representation?" Well, I’ve got news for the screamers; there is no representation without taxation. The actions that this country takes, the projects to which it commits, the countries that it supports, the liberties that it ensures, the institutions that it establishes, the infrastructure that it builds, the services and security that it provides, the rights that it protects, for better or worse, represent America’s beliefs and values.
Some people bristled at the notion that paying taxes and patriotism should be equated; regardless, it is a measure of Americans’ desire to contribute to the betterment of their country and fellow Americans. That would seem to be a greater gauge of patriotism, although bumper stickers, American flag decals, and flag lapel pins are far cheaper and require less real commitment and sacrifice.
America has developed a Wimpy approach to commitment, "I'd gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today." For Americans it is, "I’d gladly pay someday for a clear conscience and a grander life style today." To this day Wimpy has not met a Tuesday payment and, since Ronald Reagan, neither has the United States. Like Wimpy, Americans have taken out a loan on their values, and their desire to never make the payment reveals their commitment.
Americans’ inclination or disinclination to pay for that which they say that they believe and value can be seen as a measure of their resolve or lack of it. The depth of America’s debt can be seen as an historical measure of its unwillingness to sacrifice now for what it professes to be important now and in the future. Unfortunately, much of the debt has been incurred satisfying an opulent life-style for the chosen few instead of helping the country and the Americans who are struggling the most. Some would say that it is also a measure of America’s hypocrisy. That does not speak well of Americans, especially wealthy Americans, or the willingness of its leaders to ask for sacrifice for a greater cause - the financial well-being of the country.
America’s stewardship of the principles of democracy and democratic capitalism is in the process of failing and for a sizable segment of the country and the government, it seems to make little or no difference as long as their share of the booty remains untouched.
Paying my taxes is one of my commitments to my country and my fellow Americans - especially the disadvantaged. While I have significant issues with some of the spending, I do not have it with others. However, this country is not run for my benefit or my beliefs, but it is supposed to be run for the benefit of all Americans, and just because I don’t get my way doesn’t mean I should be whining about paying taxes. I should just be complaining about where the taxes are going. That's the battle in which I must engage.
So, if Obama has enough courage and intelligence to raise taxes on those earning over $250,000 and you are one of those lucky people, stop bitching and whining. This system was set up to benefit you the most. Pay it and just consider it a payment for the incredible life that you are living. And if you cannot live on $250,000 a year, there's something wrong with the way you handle your finances. It's not the tax system.
For a simple look at the current financial dilemma, you might want to take a few minutes to read my rescued diary, Toasters, the Titanic, and Cow Tipping: They Make More Sense than Derivatives.