Money Well Spent

Yesterday I spent the day doing our taxes. I think it's fair to say that no one likes to go through the bureaucratic nightmare that is figuring out the many, many worksheets and forms required by the IRS in order to determine their tax burden, and I'm no exception.

And no one likes to give up their hard earned money if they think it's going to be wasted by the asshat politicians who aren't competent enough to pour pee out of a boot even when given instructions. But it's not all wasted, and each year I do a little exercise that helps to remind me that paying taxes is - overall - a net good in maintaining a civilized society and upholding my end of the social contract.

So here is what the Smart Man and I could have paid for this year when our employers withheld taxes on behalf of the Federal government:

• Support for a family of ten to live above the poverty line
• The salary of an E7 in the Armed Forces with twelve years of service
• Financial Aid to Women, Infants & Children (WIC) for over 75 families
• The salary of a Colorado Firefighter-Paramedic
• One month's worth of operating expenses for a Free Clinic
• Pell Grants for eight students who wish to continue their education but need assistance to do so

It makes me feel a little better to think of my tax burden in these terms. It becomes money well spent, and thinking of it so makes the burden a little lighter.