I Need Some Ice Cream

Published by Janus on April 7, 2009

I just filed my taxes. It’s a bit late, I know, but try to wrap your head around this: I make less than $30,000 a year. I just sent the federal government a check for over $6,000. Basic math will tell you that I’m taxed over 20% and I’m a lower class schmuck. Knowing that my taxes are probably going to go up in the next few years is a burden to my soul.

To add insult to injury, my car won’t pass state inspection because a light won’t turn off. There is nothing actually wrong with my car. It passes emissions testing and is safe to drive. It’s just a light. It’s going to cost me a couple hundred dollars to fix unless I decide to drive around with expired tags and pay a few hundred dollars to law enforcement whenever they notice.

The issues that we discuss as political people affect people in very real ways. The anger we feel is not abstract. It’s not a distant, vague sort of thing. It hits home in very painful of ways. I’m conservative for some very good reasons. Today I’m being screwed over by the government and its a very demoralizing and depressing thing to have to deal with.

It kinda sucks.

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Filed in: General.
Tagged with: Regulation, Taxes

9 Comments

I’ll try to make the next post less emo >.>

Comment by Janus on April 7, 2009 @ 3:11 pm

Taxes crush our spirits and make us all a little emo.

Comment by ArchangelChuck on April 8, 2009 @ 12:51 am

The light is easy. Go into the dashboard and remove it. Light is out!

Comment by Cephus on April 8, 2009 @ 12:14 pm

I wish. State inspection requires direct interface with the car computer. Ya can’t remove that one =/

Comment by Janus on April 8, 2009 @ 12:20 pm

That sucks. :\
Here, have some puppies, buddy.
http://imagecache5.art.com/p/LRG/20/2011/DNS6D00Z/golden-retrievers-puppies.jpg

Comment by phatcat on April 8, 2009 @ 2:54 pm

In the words of a former American President, I feel your pain.

As a denizen of the NYC area, where the cost of living is very high, my substantial salary would look like a lot to many people like you. But when I sum what I pay in federal income tax, state income tax, FICA, Medicare, state unemployment and disability, property taxes, and state sales tax, it’s approximately 45% of my annual salary. That becomes a staggering number when viewed in that context.

While that percentage alone is enough to fuel my anger, when I consider what happens to that money is when the top of my head explodes. Granted, some of it pays for services that are truly necessary, like national defense, but so much of it is wasted in a vain attempt to redistribute wealth. It makes my incentive to produce at a high level almost nil.

Because of this onerous tax burden I struggle to keep my family living in the style in which they are accustomed – firmly middle class, not wealthy. I, like you, am demoralized and depressed about the situation. But this blog, and our feedback, is more than just a voice in the wilderness. We must keep fighting the good fight, or evil will prevail.

Rock on Janus!

Comment by Bad Scooter on April 9, 2009 @ 10:05 am

I’m amazed that making less that $30,000, you owed that much.

$3o,ooo minus $5450(standard deduction) and $3500(standard exemption) equals $21,500. The federal tax on that amount is about $ 2756.

Am I missing something???

Comment by Pam in Taos on April 11, 2009 @ 7:11 pm

I’m self-employed. I get 10-99s not a W-2. I pay twice the social security taxes and I’m taxed as business, not as a resident.

Comment by Janus on April 13, 2009 @ 3:25 pm

I hear ya’,
I’m self employed, made $30,000, and paid around $10,000 in taxes and insurance. Worked hard all year and had $20,000 to live on for the year.
A good friend, with money invested from a trust, made $50,000, and paid around $10,000 in taxes and insurance. He didn’t work a day and had $40,000 to live on for the year.
He makes double what I do, while I’m out working and we pay the same amount to the system. We were laughing at how screwy the tax system is, but it was probably funnier for him.

Comment by Mike on April 14, 2009 @ 12:40 am