It’s tax time, and as April 15th draws near, we’ll be inundated with tax-hating protesters who just can’t stand to see a single dime of their hard-earned money go toward taxes.
Heaven forbid that we actually give money to our government so they can take care of the things that the rest of us have neither the time, the skill, nor the money to pay for ourselves.
I was on a walk to the park last weekend with my daughter, and I realized that everything around me was paid for by taxes.
The playground equipment:
The public tennis courts:
The covered shelter:
We started to head home, and I kept looking around me, amazed just how much I (we) take for granted.
The paved and plowed street:
The street lights (installed, maintained and lit by taxes):
The bus system:
The street signs:
It just kept going and going.
Imagine what our lives would be like if they government didn’t use our taxes to pay for these things. When the United States first became a country, each person in each household had to come together to work for the common good (uh oh, that sounds a lot like Socialism, doesn’t it?). They had to work together and use their time, energy, skills and money to get everything done. The signs would have to be made, the lights lit, the roads paved and plowed, the schools built…it goes on and on. No wonder life-expectancy was only 35 years.
These anti-tax people use government services every day, and I bet they don’t even think twice about it. I think it’s time to remind our Freedom-loving friends just what our taxes pay for. For more information about where our tax money goes, visit The Center for Budget and Policy Priorities.
And just for fun, here’s a little protest sign humor to brighten your day:
amen and AMEN!
Thank you. I really needed that. On FaceBook, I have a bunch of ‘friends’ from High School, and a few other people who are part of the anti-tax camp, and the anti-healthcare camp, and a couple who even like Palin. Bleackkk. Kinda ruins my FB experience. But…I think the key is finding some slim common ground and finding an opportunity to have discussion, not all out word wars. The thing that scares me is the hyping-up of it by hate radio, like your blog post about that.
I feel like saying to these people who so opposed to the governement doing anything for its people, “hey, so…what’s your plan? Let the corporations help us? Yeah, they’re doing SUCH a great job of it.” Private corporations and even individuals who are thinking of their bottom dollar, are not going to have the best interests at heart. I know this from the nursing home industry. Always check out the non-profit ones before the for-profit ones!
Mama…we gotta go viral with this! We gotta encourage people to take their cameras and hit the streets. People from all over. Pick up your cameras! Counter this BS in DC in a viral celebration for CIVILIZED society!
Okay, Arizona, let’s do it! I guess we could start by posting it on FB…you have a blog, too, right? You want to put up your post and then link it here?
good! i’m on it!
ps: new blog…long story. but i’m happy to help on the new while the old is on vacay.
alrighty. here’s my stab at an homage to taxes.
http://blergityblerg.blogspot.com/2010/04/yo-mama-i-dig-taxes-too.html
You’ve set a good example of how we can wake people up to how important taxes are. Sure, we all complain about them, but without them and their distribution to key public services, we would not be living in a civilized society.
Thanks for the strategy and comments!