Taxes

 Another day, another dollar..... minus taxes! That's the way I've  always heard it. It didn't mean much as a child. When your most expensive purchase is a few pieces of penny bubble gum, not only do you not THINK of taxes, you didn't pay any either! I can still feel the cool concrete floor of Mr. Ralph McDade's store on my bare feet, bringing instant relief from the hot pavement of Magnolia Avenue and Pennington Road. Ah, the good old days.
 Fast forward....I hardly ever go barefooted, and certainly never in a store of any kind, but I digress. Now not only do I pay taxes on bubble gum (no such thing as "penny" gum anymore), I get to watch those taxes get higher and higher...AND I get to watch them go to causes I don't support. That's not much different from stealing, in my book. I see perfectly healthy young men and women living on "the government cheese" every day. "I can't find no job," is what I hear them say. Really?? I'm almost 49 years old, I've ALWAYS had a job, and I currently have two! Take your sorry butt to work and pitch in, damn it! This little outburst sponsored by the IRS and State of GA because I just sent them both a large check....again, Damn it!
 But, welfare and food stamps and Medicare/Medicaid are not bad ideas in themselves.... they are just now simply overrun and very poorly governed. What's the answer?? I don't know. However, we pay a lot of people with our tax money to come up with answers to questions like these.... they work in D.C. and Atlanta. Are we getting our money's worth from these people as a group.... I think not. So we're being taxed to pay these lawmakers, who in turn are not fixing the problems we need fixed. Taxation without representation???/  Isn't there a law against that??  I know that's a stretch.... just venting a lttle bit.
 You know what, though? I bet a cool concrete floor, some penny bubble gum, and a hot Magnolia Avenue in the 70's would make me feel better...