Frankly, I'm not really sympathetic to those who don't pay their taxes. Whether or not you agree with how much you owe the IRS, it's the law.
I've known a couple of folks who have actually spent time in the courtroom with the IRS about their philosphical differences with taxation and their feelings that required taxes are not constitutional. However, these very people believe that our country should support human service needs and they have personally been the recipient of state-supported programs including the public schools and roads we all depend on to some extent.
Amusing. And kind of sickening to me.
The latest I heard regarding non-taxpaying complainers concerns a number of business owners in Louisiana who operated on a "cash only" basis pre-Gulf Oil Disaster.
I'm probably more disgusted than even most about BP's lack of responsibility in this tragic environmental disaster, but come on, people, if you don't pay your taxes and therefore have no proof of income, how can you expect to be reimbursed for your troubles?
You just can't have it both ways.
13 comments:
Aaaah, Louisiana. Trust me, It's a whole other country.
I think PLR meant "whole 'nother country."
I agree, if you operate on a cash basis, then you assume the risks of operating "off the grid." You have no right to expect the safety net that some taxes pay for.
Then again, if you can dodge taxes and get away with it, I'm all for it. The government wastes about 80 percent of the money it takes in. Ergo, why bother giving them money to waste? It's not like YOU'LL see much of that money come back to you. You're paying for everyone else to slack off. ;-)
Point taken.
"I pay taxes because they are they are a certainty in this unstable, ephemeral and uncertain existence." Mitzi G Burger, 'The Tao of Tax'.
Couldn't agree with you more!
I agree... you get what you deserve. If you don't pay taxes, how can you expect the government to support the people. That is what's happening in the Philippines, there are a lot of tax evaders (big companies and rich individuals to boot) and look how our country is. So sickening and so depressing.
Have a great week! xoxo
Indeed, whether you agree or not, it's the law. If one has a problem with it they should probably become law makers themselves...
Agreed. Well said!
Excellent point. It has always amazed me how people go years and get away with not paying their taex, point taken is the many people who are never found out until they become important congress people. How do they get away with it? First of all, I'd be afraid not to pay mine and I feel obligated. Second, where I live you can't even register your car etc. unless your taxes are currently paid...how do these people slip through and their lifstyles remain unscathed...repurcussions of the common man would be extreme, but seems the bigger you are, themore you get away with.
I don't mind paying taxes when it means we have a fair and equitable health system.
I am in charge of the English-as-a-second-language department at a large southern California high school which is designated a Title 1 school, meaning that its students average lower socioeconomic and income levels.
Most of the schools you are hearing about, South Gate High, Bell Gardens , Huntington Park , etc., where these students are protesting, are also Title 1 schools.
Title 1 schools are on the free breakfast and free lunch program. When I say free breakfast, I'm not talking a glass of milk and a roll -- but a full breakfast and cereal bar with fruits and juices that would make a Marriott proud. The waste of this food is monumental, with trays and trays of it being dumped in the trash uneaten.
I estimate that well over 50% of these students are obese or at least moderately overweight. About 75% or more DO have cell phones. The school also provides day care centers for the unwed teenage pregnant girls (some as young as 13) so they can attend class without the inconvenience of having to arrange for babysitters or having family watch their kids.
I was ordered to spend $700,000 on my department or risk losing
funding for the upcoming year even though there was little need for anything; my budget was already substantial. I ended up buying new computers for the computer learning center, half of which, one month later, have been carved with graffiti by the appreciative students who obviously feel humbled and grateful to have a free education in America ...
I have had to intervene several times for young and substitute teachers whose classes consist of many illegal immigrant students, here in the country less than 3 months, who raised so much hell with the female teachers, calling them "Putas"(whores) and throwing things, that the teachers were in tears.
Free medical, free education, free food, free day care etc., etc, etc. Is it any wonder they feel entitled to not only be in this country but to demand rights, privileges and entitlements?
To those who want to point out how much these illegal immigrants contribute to our society because they LIKE their gardener and housekeeper and they like to pay less for tomatoes: spend some time in the real world of illegal immigration and see the TRUE costs.
Higher insurance, medical facilities closing, higher medical costs, more crime, lower standards of education in our schools, overcrowding, new diseases. For me, I'll pay more for tomatoes.
Americans, We need to wake up.
It does, however, have everything to do with culture: It involves an American third-world culture that does not value education, that accepts children getting pregnant and dropping out of school by 15 and that refuses to assimilate, and an American culture that has become so weak and worried about "political correctness" that we don't have the will to do anything about it.
I am in charge of the English-as-a-second-language department at a large southern California high school which is designated a Title 1 school, meaning that its students average lower socioeconomic and income levels.
Most of the schools you are hearing about, South Gate High, Bell Gardens , Huntington Park , etc., where these students are protesting, are also Title 1 schools.
Title 1 schools are on the free breakfast and free lunch program. When I say free breakfast, I'm not talking a glass of milk and a roll -- but a full breakfast and cereal bar with fruits and juices that would make a Marriott proud. The waste of this food is monumental, with trays and trays of it being dumped in the trash uneaten.
I estimate that well over 50% of these students are obese or at least moderately overweight. About 75% or more DO have cell phones. The school also provides day care centers for the unwed teenage pregnant girls (some as young as 13) so they can attend class without the inconvenience of having to arrange for babysitters or having family watch their kids.
I was ordered to spend $700,000 on my department or risk losing
funding for the upcoming year even though there was little need for anything; my budget was already substantial. I ended up buying new computers for the computer learning center, half of which, one month later, have been carved with graffiti by the appreciative students who obviously feel humbled and grateful to have a free education in America ...
I have had to intervene several times for young and substitute teachers whose classes consist of many illegal immigrant students, here in the country less than 3 months, who raised so much hell with the female teachers, calling them "Putas"(whores) and throwing things, that the teachers were in tears.
Free medical, free education, free food, free day care etc., etc, etc. Is it any wonder they feel entitled to not only be in this country but to demand rights, privileges and entitlements?
To those who want to point out how much these illegal immigrants contribute to our society because they LIKE their gardener and housekeeper and they like to pay less for tomatoes: spend some time in the real world of illegal immigration and see the TRUE costs.
Higher insurance, medical facilities closing, higher medical costs, more crime, lower standards of education in our schools, overcrowding, new diseases. For me, I'll pay more for tomatoes.
Americans, We need to wake up.
It does, however, have everything to do with culture: It involves an American third-world culture that does not value education, that accepts children getting pregnant and dropping out of school by 15 and that refuses to assimilate, and an American culture that has become so weak and worried about "political correctness" that we don't have the will to do anything about it.
Thank you all, for your comments! To anonymous: Your comments are very interesting and you obviously have first hand experience with spending that can be re-allocated in ways that might accomplish similar goals but with more efficienices and encouragement of independence.
We may have different views on some things, but I certainly agree that it is horrible to see state dollars wasted and mandates to spend--perhaps when there are better ways to address root issues instead of slap band-aids on things. Hearing about those computers breaks my heart. Our schools here are so underfunded.
Are most of the students in your ESOL program illegal immigrants? I'd love to chat more, but I don't have your name. Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts.
Post a Comment