Yes, it’s April 15–they day that all wage earners in the United States should realize that we live with a gun held to our head. It’s done for our own good, don’tcha see, this confiscation of a portion of our wages, most of which be used for the “public good” (*snort*) or redistributed to the poor and starvin’ masses (who will still be poor and starvin’ after said redistribution).
The tiny fraction that goes to national defense I don’t begrudge a bit. Of course, I’d like to see more of it actually used for border security….
If you want to get the full effect of what’s done to you on the Federal level alone (don’t look at the state or local taxes yet; I don’t want you to have a stroke before you finish reading this post), just pick out the line on your Federal tax form (the line number differs depending on which form you file) and subtract any refund you get (or add in any additional tax you owe). Now, reflect for 5 minutes on what you could do with just 50% of that money. Not wishing anyone ill, but I hope at the end of the 5 minutes your well and truly pissed off. Vote accordingly in November.
The next big holiday will be Tax Freedom Day, which occurs on April 23rd this year. The early arrival (normally, it occurs in May) is due to our wonderful “economic stimulus plan” checks. In other words, you get your money back faster. Whoopee!