Friday, March 30, 2012

Taxes, no death (yet)

Much to my surprise, this year we will pay the Feds for the privilege of living in this country. Wait. We pay a good chunk of money in taxes all year long anyway, but this year, WE GET TO GIVE THEM MORE. What a thrill!
People hear me say, ad nauseum, that this is the greatest country on Earth, and how lucky we are to live here. I still believe this. But it's kinda like one of those hotel chains that you've heard of, so you figure it's a safe clean place to stay, then when you arrive, it's just slightly seedy and grimy. The luster has dimmed and you're a little disappointed.
With all the problems the US now has- a huge number of people on public assistance and happy to stay there, crime, violence, racial strife, I begin to wonder where Gil & I will live out our retirement.
Shall we live in a remote area of New Mexico? Shall we go to a gated retirement community in Arizona? Shall we leave the US altogether and become ex-pats in an American-friendly country?
So back to taxes. This has gotten me thinking that this country that I adore is not so friendly to the law-abiding, working stiff who is just trying to do the right thing. If the criminal element isn't trying to rob you of the things you've worked for and earned, this government will flip you upside down and try to get what's left.
I will continue to pray that life as I know it will revert to what it was 2 decades ago. What I worked for was mine to keep, including a large part of my wages, and I didn't have to arm myself in my own home.
Taxes and death. They're inevitable. But I didn't figure on being more frightened of the government.