As tax day approaches, especially in an election year, it seems to almost be our patriotic duty to decry all the taxes we have to pay. Yet if we examine the original intent of our Founding Fathers, we can see that without the benefits that our taxes bring, the result would be utter chaos. Left to our individual selves, providing for the corporate good would be comical at best & disastrous at worst.
Let me cite just a few examples:
We complain about our government, but…
Would you feel safe if
restaurant health
inspections were conducted by
“Man Cave” Men?
Or mothers of toddlers?
Without our tax supported road crews…
![ruff 042016 i](https://olddogruff.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/ruff-042016-i.png?w=377&h=261)
Everyone would need a 4 wheel drive pickup
with a plow just to get to work in the winter
And what chaos would ensue if we all were responsible to repair
the potholes located in front of our own property?
In case you think this might be a reasonable solution—remember your deadbeat neighbor who only mows his grass every 6 weeks? When do you think his potholes will get fixed?
Have you ever voted against a tax levy for your local fire department?
If there is a fire…
You might think twice about not investing your tax
dollars, especially if you were counting on Bubba for help
And without 911, you’re on your own…
While some of us might be willing
to try CPR on our attractive young neighbor
Poor Uncle Harley, whose breath smells
like dead fish, is definitely a goner
Maybe we could cut taxes by doing away with Law Enforcement…
Sounds like a good idea if you don’t mind
your world being ruled by the mean
the fearless
and the totally stupid
If you hate the idea of paying taxes to upgrade or build new jails…
perhaps you would rather house the criminals in your own home…
maybe in the spare room next to your teenage daughter?
Tired of schools always begging for more MONEY?
Would you really want to teach your own kids?
With the exception of the home-school ![ruff 042016 c](https://olddogruff.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/ruff-042016-c.jpg?w=247&h=162)
community, the average parent has a
difficult time helping with 5th grade math homework, let alone teaching calculus or physics.
And consider the imminent danger if
your teenage boys tried to experiment
with the delicacies of dissection
while you were in the bathroom?
Not to mention the dramatic rise in the rates ![ruff 042016 h](https://olddogruff.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/ruff-042016-h.jpg?w=218&h=145)
of both domestic violence & homicide
So much of what our taxes are used for is unseen, but…
Without the planning & investing of local municipalities in regional sewer systems
Every new allotment
Would be littered with these
And last but not least– if our taxes were not used to support our elected officials…
Who would we have to blame for the sorry mess we are in?
One glaring omission from the list of benefits
derived from our taxes is the post office.
That is because even though it is a government agency with all the rights, privileges & insanity thereof, NO TAX DOLLARS are used to support it.
Point to Ponder:
“Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean, but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox.”
~ Solomon, 950 B.C. Proverbs 14:4 (ESV)
“Where there are no taxes, the paycheck is bigger, but you can’t count on Bubba for putting out fires. “
~ Ruff, 2016 A.D.
The issue is not about clean barns or the necessity of fire departments. It is to simply say that we need each other. And government has been instituted to provide for our corporate needs. We may legitimately debate how big or small an ideal government should be. What services we can provide better for ourselves & what a corporate body needs to oversee. But taxes are necessary for the common good.
We can complain about paying taxes or we can choose to be grateful for all the many government services we take for granted. Next time you are tempted to grumble, picture fixing your own potholes… or giving Uncle Harley CPR!
Blessings,
Ruff