I am a freeloader.

I wrote this last spring, just a few days before getting really sick with my pregnancy  (and really turning into a freeloader relying heavily on my husband, friends and my girls to help me).  Well, Little Nathan is 3 months now, and I am going to try blogging again, even if just to record my life in a digital journal that someday someone may read.  I have decided to not just blog about my family, but also my thoughts and feelings about the world, so a disclaimer - PLEASE LOVE ME ANYWAY!  Here goes...



There has been a lot of news coverage lately about taxes.  Who does not pay them, and who does. According to Phyllis Schlafly, in her 4-16-2010 blog entitled "America Becomes a Two-Class Society"
on the Eagle Forum Website:


Income tax day, April 15, 2010, now divides Americans into two almost equal classes: those who pay for the services provided by government and the freeloaders. The percentage of Americans who will pay no federal income taxes at all for 2009 has risen to 47 percent.
 
For some reason, reading this (along with some of the rest of the blog, but my eyes started to glaze over, so I will have to return and finish it later) made my blood boil (and my eyes glaze over, good thing I can still type).  I am a freedloader.  I pay no Federal income tax.  I heard on one of my favorite radio shows that this means I do not care how money is spent, nor do I care if taxes are raised on the "rich" because it doesn't affect me.
 
AAAARRRRGGGG!
 
True, I pay no Federal Income Tax. I even get money back at tax time, thanks to the "Additional Child Tax Credit" passed by G. W. which makes the child tax credits refundable . But I do pay THOUSANDS(!!!!!!) in Social Security and Medicare Taxes, that I have no expectation of ever seeing (do you? Really?).  I pay thousands in property tax, sales tax, gasoline tax, registration fees, etc.

I absolutely care about our country, and would like to see taxes reduced for EVERYBODY, red tape eliminated, stupid laws iradicated, politicians...  well, I won't go there, don't want to hurt anyone's feelings with any colorful language...  I don't know anyone, on the basis of their income, who DOESN't care about our country, who wouldn't like to make more money, and therefore pay taxes.  I, due to my ever- increasing family size, could have about 20k more in the budget before sharing that with Uncle Sam.  That would be way cool, to have those resources, and start "paying back" society.

Wait, I thought I was contributing, being a good citizen, raising little worker bees (seriously), who will pay for the youngest boomer's social security, as it goes bust, before I get any...  I vote, stay educated, clean up after my zoo (you know) and even care about the environment (gasp), trying to recycle, garden, and generally not waste resources.  My kids are good students, and may save/run the world someday, so isn't that enough?  When they are grown I plan on devoting all my time giving back to others, through service or employment, or both.  I love my life, but I do work pretty hard, and I would like to think it is not for nothing.

Plus, if you think outside the rhetoric, if the top 10% posses 80% of the financial resources of the United States, why should they not pay 71% of the taxes?  There are a number of great alternatives around but the ideas that the rich don't pay their fair share, or that the masses don't pay their fair share, are both ridiculous.  The truth is somewhere in the middle...  and at least we have a few more years before the fight starts all over again...