Taxes

Yes, it is April 15, and I am in love with paying my taxes.  You think I'm kidding, right?  While I moaned and groaned with the rest of them as I wrote out those big checks to the IRS and to the State of New Jersey, I decided to not fall prey to Tea Party mentality, but instead, take a close look at where my taxes have gone.  And while I would mix up the percentages a bit if I ran the country, I cannot complain about most of the things my money goes toward.

The percentage of my taxes that fund national security has actually gone down in the last year, from 25% to 19%.  Of course, that's still too high for my liking, but it's a step in the right direction, I hope.  I have always been angry/sad that I do not get to have a say on how much of my money goes to support war.  Being an old hippie peacenik, I would prefer that none of it did.  So I guess this is the only area where I DON'T love paying my taxes.

The "entitlements," as some prefer to call them, take up a large portion of my taxes, but I have no complaints about it.  Social Security gets 24%, while Medicare, Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program share 22%.  Why certain politicians want to cut these programs is beyond me.  If we, as a society, can not make the health and safety of our citizens our number one priority, then what does that say about us?  When I was widowed at 52, Social Security helped me raise my children.  It was not a hand-out.  My husband and I had both worked hard all our lives and paid into the system; now was the time for that investment to help the little family he left behind.  I would not want to deny that assistance to anyone.

Taking only 12% of my taxes are the "Safety Net Programs," and these are the ones that certain people really want to rail against.  Food stamps, school lunches, low-income housing assistance, etc.  This is where I get really confused.  Many of the same people who scream about these programs call themselves "Christians."  But Jesus Christ would be all for this, wouldn't he?  On the other hand, the people who are upset about these "hand-outs" don't seem to mind at all that people like the Koch brothers are getting all the breaks while they are buying America.  And yet, they blame the poor for our economic condition.  I, for one, am happy that my tax dollars are helping those who risk falling through the cracks. 

Interest on the national debt takes 6% of my taxes.  Wish that was lower, but I don't think it foreshadows the end of the world as we know it.

So the above accounts for about 83% of my taxes.  The rest of it?  Oh, it's reserved for those minor things like veterans' benefits, transportation and infrastructure, education, science and medical research, non-security international stuff and some other little things.

Think about it.  If you were in charge, where would the money go?  Are you comfortable with only 2% of your tax dollars going toward science and medical research?  Education only gets 1% of your federal tax dollars?  Natural resources, energy and the environment get less than 2%?  Seems that priorities are a little messed up, doesn't it?

Or maybe you disagree with me.  That's your right.  And if we get involved in the Ukraine militarily, you will be okay with the National Defense Budget taking dollars away from veterans, right?

Meanwhile, I have paid my taxes in full.  And I am in love with MOST of the things they are paying for.  Why on earth would I not be?