Paying Taxes - 2009-11-16

When I was much younger, going to school… and not yet working for a living, I thought it was immoral to avoid or evade paying taxes. I believed that my and everyone’s social responsibility to contribute their fair share to society.

Then, I entered the workforce and learned how hard it is to make a decent living. Commuting, working lousy shifts, dealing with bosses or co-workers you don’t like or customers who treat you like garbage… and having to suck it up so you can pay your rent and bills. Which, of course, you only get to do AFTER the various levels of government have taken their cut of your pay check, ……and that doesn’t count the sales taxes you and I have to pay every time we buy something.

And that’s when paying taxes really became something personal, and not just a vague notion of contributing to the good of society. When I SAW just how MUCH of my hard-earned income I was “contributing” and then examined HOW my contribution was being spent…. I realized I was not fulfilling my social responsibility - I was being robbed by government largesse….. waste….. and corruption.

As an example, CBS 60 Minutes recently did a story on the US Medicare system. According to CBS, Medicare FRAUD costs US taxpayers about SIXTY BILLION DOLLARS a year, and might well be the most profitable criminal activity in America. The Medicare system is paying out money to clinics and pharmacies, WITHOUT requiring proof that services were actually provided. THAT’S how carefree the government is with our tax money. And that’s just one of the thousands of boondoggles that go on every single day, that you and I pay for. This type of fraud is not limited to the U.S.

I long ago stopped blaming people for trying to hide their money in the Cayman Islands or Swiss Bank accounts.

There’s an old saying, “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me TWICE, shame on ME”. I’m no longer the naïve kid I used to be. I sure don’t feel the moral obligation to pay my taxes. No, instead, I feel like I’ve been robbed every time I do. The Robber Barons of today are own elected officials who take and spend our hard earned money without any consideration for frugality or even reasonableness.

If you have any idea on how I can get out of paying taxes, let me know by writing me at feedback@nakednews.com. If you would like it see the text for this or any other of our Commentaries, just go to the very bottom of our home page and click on the "Commentary Archives" link.