"People who complain about paying their federal income taxes fall mainly into two categories: Men and Women!" ~ copied

It is Friday, April 8, 2016, and I say hello and welcome to one and all. One week from today. That's when the IRS Red Red Robin comes bob bob bobbin' along. You know. Federal Tax deadline. I will likely send my payment in tomorrow just so I can quit getting ready to think about doing it. I will file my return and pay electronically and then we can move on with our lives. I just read where a study concluded the average working American spends more on taxes than they do on food, clothing, and housing combined. Now that's what I call an encouraging report. NOT! The other day I saw a utility program available out on the internet that looked interesting to me. I didn't try it because they wanted me to sign in using my Facebook ID but I did like the sound of it. It's entitled Not Recommended for Me and it purports to be a source featuring an experimental anti-recommendation engine that provides suggestions for things you probably won't want to read, purchase, or watch. How refreshing is that? We are constantly bombarded every day with a seemingly endless stream of recommendations for products, services, and other things thought to fit our fancy. This is how they pay for the 'free' access folks get to social media platforms. They all do it. I know the anti-recommendation website is probably tongue in cheek but somehow having a list of stuff I'm likely not interested in at all appeals to me. Oh yeah. Here's today's question still pending from yesterday: How did tomorrow deliver on its promise? I report. You decide. Thanks for asking.

I know this is a type of piling on but tis the season. Suggested IRS motto: "We're not happy until you are unhappy!" How did all of this get started? Well here's one idea: ~ A doctor, a lawyer, and an IRS agent were debating over whose profession was the oldest. “If you read the Book of Genesis, you’ll see that God took a rib out of Adam to create Eve. That’s a medical activity, so medicine came first,” said the doctor. The lawyer replied, “But if you go back even further, to the first chapter of Genesis, you see that God created order out of chaos. That’s what lawyers do. So the law must have come first.” “Oh, yeah?”, said the IRS agent, “Well where do you think the chaos came from?” ~ One tax consultant said in his experience the only difference between tax collectors and muggers is that muggers do not require you to fill out forms. One contributor posted this advice: End organized crime, abolish the IRS. Another lady lamented concerning her plight: I would dearly love to give the IRS my two cents worth, but after paying my taxes, I need everything I have left just to survive. Okay. Maybe that will help us all to let off a little steam. And, we all know that tax collectors are for the most part easy targets. There is hope. The tax collector in the Bible, Matthew, became an Apostle. He went from being a taker to becoming a giver. A giver of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Let me remind us all about the folks who work for our government and in particular, the IRS. While there are bad apples in every crate, no matter what type of employment, I would guess that most folks working for the IRS are just doing their jobs as best they know how. When I was employed by the government in different agencies for a four-year run I noticed many areas that operated in a nonsensical manner. That was no reflection on the people I worked with because the institution itself is inefficient by design. Here I was, a young inexperienced worker, and I could readily see things that didn't make sense. Common sense, that is. Many of those had costs associated with them. Multiply those bureaucratic inefficiencies by a trillion or more and you can see where we are in terms of how our government functions and why it costs so much. That would be my lay person's view of it and it is my opinion this is why so many of us are frustrated each year when the tax people come calling. Well, there you have it, another week of unenlightened but very opinionated thoughts offered up by yours truly. Enjoy your Saturday and Lord's Day Sunday where folks gather to worship our Great God, who truly is worthy. Amen. See you next time. Lord willing, of course. .....More later..