I'm getting all political on ya, but don't worry, it's just a reaction to tax time.

The following post contains political commentary some (conservative and liberal) might find offensive. Continue at your own risk.

When I woke this morning my mind went directly to meandering into the events on my calendar for today. Or should I say the event. Yes, in case you hadn’t noticed, it’s that time of the year again. Tax time.

For those of you who draw a paycheck, get a w2 in the mail, scribble a few numbers on a e-z file sheet and pop it in the mail, tax time is no biggie. In fact, I know ya’ll hit the post office by the end of January and eagerly await your money back. I always wonder why this elicits so much joy, I mean, it’s not like the government is giving you a gift, it’s your money. Your money that the government borrowed with out interest I might add. Wouldn’t it be better to just put that money in an interest bearing account and then pay the government at the end? I don’t know, that’s just me.

Anyway, for those of us who are self employed, tax time is a whole ‘nother story. I have boxes of files, reams of paper, ledgers and receipts and notebooks. I have 327 categories for deductions and 857 receipts to match each one. I have 7 different forms and schedules to fill out and honestly, the whole thing is so complicated I have to hire an accountant to fill out the papers. The problem, of course, is that I have to have the numbers all carefully tucked away in their proper places so the accountant knows what goes where.

Personally, I think we should have a tax system based on what you spend, not what you make. You know, that theory was bouncing around a few years ago, I think it was called a luxury tax. If this were the current tax system, I wouldn’t be spending the whole day sorting through receipts. I would just turn in the stack of receipts from the liquor store and call it a day.

Now, I don’t mind paying taxes, I understand we have to have some money laying around to help those who really need help. I have no problem with making sure the elderly and the disabled have enough to eat and a place to live. I do however mind paying to care for people who could work but don’t.

It appears there are plenty of people living off my taxes who do so just for the hell of it. I've met a lot of people living on disability who were definitely fit enough to be working. My solution to that? Well, why don’t we just say that if you are physically able to work,and you still apply for benefits, then your benefits are based on your previous taxes paid. If you have never worked, and could have, you don’t qualify. If you are "disabled" you have to prove it and the testing is not done by doctors ( who make money off disability office visits) but by marine drill sergeants.

Now I know that opens a whole can of worms, but hey, it’s just my opinion.

Worried about the jobless? Well, lets all quit buying cheap junk made in China and insist on American made everything. Lets bring manufacturing back to the US and put these people to work. They can report to the factory instead of the benefits office each morning. Now, it may not be great work, but it’s a paycheck that doesn’t come out of my hard earned taxes.

Worried about the high cost of American made goods? I think the prices would go down if we brought manufacturing back and honestly, how many two dollar plastic gadgets made in a country that poisons our pets and kills Buddhist Monks do you need? Would one twenty dollar gadget make do if you knew it would reduce your tax burden by a large margin? Would you rather pay twenty dollars in taxes so some guy could sit on his butt watching TV all day except for his quick run to the mail to get his monthly unemployment check or would you rather pay twenty dollars for an item made in America?

Now some say the luxury tax would not support our government. Well, it would if they were more accountable for spending. I do not like my taxes being spent on war. I especially don’t like it when billions of tax dollars are spent to kill and be killed, meanwhile, my disabled from birth sister gets a measly few hundred dollars a month in benefits to live on. Something is wrong here. I think war is one of the things that politicians should pay for out of their own pockets. If they vote yes they should put their entire salaries into the pot.

Here’s a novel idea, why not make it mandatory that if we go to war, we have to use nuclear force? Wait, hear me out before you think I’ve lost it. How many politicians would want to go on record as saying yes to nuking somebody? How many American military lives would be saved if we never put troops on the ground? How many countries would try to kick our ass if they know there was just one way we would retaliate? I think it could be the start of some real peaceful times, and we would save a lot of tax money by not going to war.

I also do not like my taxes spent to care for undocumented residents. Now, don’t get me wrong, the US was founded in compassion for the “huddled masses”, and some of my own relatives were “off the boat”. They did however, come in the front door not the window. They went to work and paid taxes too. I say invite anyone to come in, but they must come in the front door and become citizens, and pay their share of taxes. If and when they really need help they qualify. Again, benefits are based on your previous taxes paid. If you have never worked, and could have, you don’t qualify.

I also don’t like paying taxes to support a bunch of people in prisons. My answer to this problem? If they killed, they get the chair, no questions asked. If they were white collar crime, we put them to work for the government where all the other white collar criminals are only they don’t get paid, they get room and board. All those violent but didn’t kill criminals? They get the chain gang and start rebuilding the infrastructure that once made this country great. All those people who are in jail for minor infractions, put them to work in the fields growing food so we don’t have to import so much. There will be no more sitting on your ass in jail for anyone. That right there would save so much tax money our tax rate would drop by 50% immediately

You know, I think it says in the constitution that we can’t be taxed twice. Wasn’t that the whole idea behind the constitution? To set up a democracy where the people are taxed fairly and represented well? Hum, seems to me that I’m being taxed on my earnings, and then taxed again at a state level on my earnings, then taxed again when I buy something, I pay county government taxes, town government taxes, taxes for water and sewer services, fire department taxes, school taxes,and library taxes and hell, that feels like being taxed more than once. Something’s fishy about all that.

Oh, I also heard that there is something about no tax without representation in the constitution as well. So I came up with another novel idea to solve that problem. Why not tax only those people whose political candidate wins the presidential election? I mean, my candidate never wins, so I don’t feel represented, so why do I have to pay taxes? Picture this: Everyone, and I mean everyone, registered to vote. If your candidate wins you pay taxes during their term. If your candidate looses you don’t. Simple,yes?

Honestly, if we just implemented a few of my suggestions the government would not have to be handing out economic stimulus checks, your taxes would be lower than ever and everyone who could work would be working. Now if I can just get my tax documents tied up in a neat little bundle as fast as I just solved the problems with the US government, I would have all day to relax!

Oh, and in case you forgot how it goes,
"I pledge allegiance to the Flag, of the United States of America, and to the Republic, for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."