The IRS could be named the Cannibal Tax Collection Agency. Why? They charge an arm and a leg.

Okay. Let me see if I am on the right track. Today is Thursday, January 14, 2016. Right? Good. I think I have it down. It will soon be that time of year again. We've been looking at our taxes. Last Saturday the wife and I sat down and reviewed our situation. I could talk about loop holes for some but our situation at times looks more like a sink hole. It may sound like I am a complainer but that is not my intention. If the Lord provides I will be walking through the door marked 70 this year. I am blessed to still be working full time. I am blessed to have retirement income. I am blessed to be a professional Santa and to be paid handsomely for my work. Here's the deal. Uncle Sam thinks we are in some type of windfall situation. I am on medicare but I still pay a sizable amount in medicare taxes each year. I draw social security but I still pay social security taxes each year. We are self employed in the Santa enterprise so the wife and I pay both parts of the social security taxes along with regular income taxes. Don't get me wrong. I have always believed that if one is in a situation to pay more than average in taxes, it typically means they are somewhat better off than others. I can be thankful for that while also wondering out loud about how older people are dealt with in the tax code. What's that? Just think about what I might be dealing with if I won that mega lottery deal? Sorry. Last time I checked you have to buy a ticket to be in the running for that one. The IRS lottery program operates with or without your cooperation. Sorry. But in my way of seeing it I suppose I'm my own special interest group: Give Old People a Break! Just letting off a little steam folks. That's all.

Yeah. I know. Death and taxes. And, our right to complain. They are a part of the fabric of our American experience. I wouldn't trade it for any other experience on the planet. Maybe I should complain to my tax adviser. Okay. I will. He is a part of a practice entitled: Me, Myself and I. Based on prior interactions I don't think he has that much to offer in terms of relief. Okay. We've done some preliminary planning. Come March I will likely download the upgraded version of our tax preparation software to get everything ready so that we can mail our check in April. Fair warning because this means I will most likely be stirred to revisit this subject as that time draws near. Here's a few inspirational quotes as recorded by Forbes Magazine to help encourage you as you deal with this annual event: 1.“The taxpayer: that’s someone who works for the federal government, but doesn’t have to take a civil service examination.”–Ronald Reagan 2.“We have what it takes to take what you have.”–Suggested IRS Motto 3.“The income tax created more criminals than any other single act of government.”–Barry Goldwater 4.“You must pay taxes. But there’s no law that says you gotta leave a tip.”–Morgan Stanley advertisement 5.“If you get up early, work late, and pay your taxes, you will get ahead–if you strike oil.”–J. Paul Getty 6.“The tax code is a monstrosity and there’s only one thing to do with it. Scrap it, kill it, drive a stake through its heart, bury it and hope it never rises again to terrorize the American people.”–Steve Forbes 7.“The difference between death and taxes is death doesn’t get worse every time Congress meets.”–Will Rogers 8.“It is a paradoxical truth that tax rates are too high today and tax revenues are too low, and the soundest way to raise the revenues in the long run is to cut the tax rates.”–John F. Kennedy 9.“Make sure you pay your taxes; otherwise you can get in a lot of trouble.”–Richard M. Nixon 10.“For a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle.”–Winston Churchill

Okay. I will say it again. For all of it's issues and inequities, I am thankful that God allowed me to be born in this, my homeland, the United States of America. I see those quality of life rankings from across the globe. These rankings now list our country much lower than others. I saw one index the other day that indicated we were 12th in the world in overall quality of life. Supposedly people who live in Switzerland, Denmark, New Zealand, Germany, Australia, Austria, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and Finland have it better than we do. Here's my unofficial response to this report: HOGWASH! In case you are unfamiliar with that word it's a technical term widely recognized among my circle of friends. The people doing that report must not read the world headlines I read. That's enough for one day. Why? I've more or less worn myself out. The good news is how that we can all still sing God Bless America and mean it. Amen. ....More later.