Thought for the Day--April 16, 2011: Taxes!

Don’t tax you, don’t tax me, tax that man behind the tree.

--The late Sen. Russell B. Long (Democrat, Louisiana)

Federal Income taxes are due on Monday, April 18.

No one likes paying taxes, a necessary evil, but it seems as though some of us (middle class) pay more proportionately than others (the very poor and the very rich). It seems that too many rich people are getting off far too easily, and yet they seem to whine the loudest, while the rest of us plebes simply pay our taxes and take the hit.

Why middle class Republicans support big business lawmakers is beyond me; these lawmakers don't work for us but for the special interest groups that line their campaign coffers...

Aw, shucks, there I go, getting all political--the ides of April make me a bit grumpy.

As usual, I have procrastinated in doing my taxes, taking advantage of the three extra days because yesterday was a holiday in Washington, D.C. (Emancipation Day).

It seems as though the tax code gets more complicated each year with vague rules and bewildering deductions and exclusions.

Even with tax software, it still takes a day or so to input and check figures and finish up.

Also, once I complete the return, I like to sleep on it before sending it off into IRS cyberspace, just to make sure that I have interpreted correctly what I can and cannot deduct.

Last year, when I was abroad and doing my taxes, my Macedonian friends were slightly amused at the agony I was experiencing. Their government simply takes taxes out of their paychecks, no deductions and no debate (although the business owners have their methods for hiding income, just like 99.999999% of the world).

It's ironic that "doing taxes" not only takes a major bite out of the paycheck but also wastes 1/365th of my time each year!

I must say: the above graphic (The IRS instruction booklet, which I scanned and then manipulated via Adobe Photoshop) looks a bit like a superhero comic book, but I'm afraid that no hero can save me from the drudgery of filing my tax return.

Be well, my cyber friends, and don't drink too much java as you pore over your tax returns.