Volunteer Day
I think today should be renamed "Volunteer Day." This is the mandatory day by which we must voluntarily file our income tax returns. The front pages of the 1040 booklet tell us so. Our voluntary participation. Reminds me of how the students in the old Soviet Union used to turn out at harvest time to "voluntarily & patriotically" help harvest the crops. Which really meant the farm machinery was broken again and the students were conscripted to manually help with the harvest. How today, so many Chinese factory workers (inmates) "volunteer" their time to make goods to be sold here. By being in the factories, they are repaying the cost of "re-education" to get those troubling thoughts of freedom from their minds. Speaking of freedom, we are only 2 days away from Tax Freedom Day. That's 107 days to pay the 2005 tax burden. I guess that puts us more on par with the students than with the factory workers. We only give up a little over 1/4 of our year.
You know, I am a religious man. Many don't know that because I don't try and push my beliefs on others. God only wants 10% of my income. Why does the state claim to need so much more? I guess because in this era of statism, the state has become the god for many.
A final thought and then I'll leave you with a link to some humor. Our "tax season" starts generally around the end of January with the arrival of W-2 forms and runs through today. Has anyone else noticed that in January & February, the papers and financial magazines have stories not only about tax strategy but about how "X% of filers with XXK+ income are audited", or "Watch out for these audit triggers"? Is the underlying message one of "don't even think about cheating or we'll get you!"? Or how at this time of year, you can find articles claiming that by filing with the last minute masses, your chances of an audit are still the same? Another "don't cheat" message? It used to be at this time of year, someone big would be in the papers after being nailed for tax evasion. Another subliminal "don't screw with us" message. Maybe there still was one of those this year. I listen to the mainstream media less and less these days. I am tired of the propaganda of the fourth Estate.
Ok, on to the promised humor. It ties in nicely with the first paragraph. Have a nice Volunteer Day. Made in China and full of patriotism.
You know, I am a religious man. Many don't know that because I don't try and push my beliefs on others. God only wants 10% of my income. Why does the state claim to need so much more? I guess because in this era of statism, the state has become the god for many.
A final thought and then I'll leave you with a link to some humor. Our "tax season" starts generally around the end of January with the arrival of W-2 forms and runs through today. Has anyone else noticed that in January & February, the papers and financial magazines have stories not only about tax strategy but about how "X% of filers with XXK+ income are audited", or "Watch out for these audit triggers"? Is the underlying message one of "don't even think about cheating or we'll get you!"? Or how at this time of year, you can find articles claiming that by filing with the last minute masses, your chances of an audit are still the same? Another "don't cheat" message? It used to be at this time of year, someone big would be in the papers after being nailed for tax evasion. Another subliminal "don't screw with us" message. Maybe there still was one of those this year. I listen to the mainstream media less and less these days. I am tired of the propaganda of the fourth Estate.
Ok, on to the promised humor. It ties in nicely with the first paragraph. Have a nice Volunteer Day. Made in China and full of patriotism.
posted by Jeff at
12:01 AM
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