Friday, June 5, 2009

Speaking of Taxes, Part IV: It's Sheer Torture

Since Congress in focusing so much on inhumane torture being conducted on the captured combat prisoners I thought I'd address the cruelty of an unjust and inhumane treatment by Congress designed to torture us, the taxpayers.

Please consider that age old torture that is called the Chinese Water Torture where a drop of water is dripped at regular intervals on the forehead of the unfortunate victim. The difference between the Chinese Water Torture and Water boarding is that those who administer water boarding can pretty well tell if you are near death but those that administer the drops cannot tell when you will go mad. So, as a victim of water boarding you experience fear of death but as a victim of Chinese water torture you experience actual madness; permanent or temporary depends on your psyche.

Drip. It always amazes me how quickly and easily a new tax is approved. Always cast in a positive light of promises that will be fulfilled once the tax is enacted. They always embellish it and explain how much you need to pay those taxes for the good of you, your offspring and country. They tell you it will pay for all the "needs" that government owes you for paying taxes. Isn't that an oxy-moron? Nevertheless it's indoctrinated into your psyche that without government entitlements, you would not survive.

Drip. It also amazes me how easily taxpayers approve of what Congress does. Why on earth do they re-elect their representatives time after time if that's not the case? It's because the easiness with which tax increases are approved by Congress are also easily embraced by the people electing the representatives who do the deed.

Drip. I can't count the many times I've heard someone say that they are perfectly willing to pay more taxes because it would do good here or there and after all it should be paid for by sinners doing this or that. Of course once enacted, no publicity, no investigation, no light shed on it will reveal the waste nor the corruption behind the spending of it. Deep pockets are available and you will only hear on the topic again when they want to collect more of the same. Unfortunately once a tax code is written, it is never unwritten .. it's rewritten ad-nauseum to help close "loopholes", but like a bell, it will not be un rung.

Drip. Tax or budget cuts on the other hand are never discussed with a positive attitude but always with a threatening one. If we have to cut here/there then you will have to do without this/that which "we" have provided for you. Or we have to cut everywhere (except our perks, pensions and salaries) and you will suffer the consequence. The population is threatened to have their police, firefighter and teachers reduced in their own communities. Never is there serious thought given to reducing government spending.

Drip. When they do finally agree to cut some waste or another, they announce it with such glee: "See, we just "saved" you money! Be thankful to us! Look what we've done for you!" (This done, usually just prior to an election.) Of course out of billions 100mil is a mere pittance, but it's given so much publicity that you are ready to believe that the new saviour has at last arrived.

Drip. What is never emphasized is that tax cuts are notoriously stamped with an expiration date and they are very rarely retroactive but usually put on "next" year's tax cod with a myriad of caveats .

Drip. Now they want to introduce more taxation into the citizens lives. The VAT..or the Value Added Tax. Like all sales taxes will only go up and will never go away.

Drip. Soda Tax. A sinner tax for those that drink that sugar laden beverage.

Drip. Fat Tax? For obese Americans...the thought being they cost more.

Drip. You drive too far/too much tax. The mileage meter tax Oregon introduced.

Drip. Footprint tax. Voluntary so far at San Francisco Airport but I bet it won't be long before it's mandatory. Those smart meters they put on your energy consumption will make sure you get taxed for footprint usage.

Drip. Breathing tax. You're killing the environment by exhaling CO2.

Drip. Preservation tax. To preserve everything except human beings.

Drip. Health tax on top of the already collected Medicare tax. Did you know that initially Medicare was not a separately collected payroll tax? The behemoth gets bigger

Drip. _______- Fill in the blank tax.. Think I'm kidding? The trouble with taxing specialized sinners is that eventually you'll be on the list.

And so it goes Drip. Drip. Drip. It's downright torturous.

The drips have been torturing the taxpayers for a long time and it's going to get much worse so I am seriously wondering when the taxpayers will finally go mad? Believe me, the Government won't let us die because they need us alive to keep paying; but will they be able to predict when we will go totally mad?

Think not.. as the British could not.

Thanks for Reading
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