Musings 26...Spring and Taxes

I mowed my lawn Saturday. It is the earliest I have ever done so. Most years, I just wait around till the first week of May before I even check-out my mower. Maybe I'm eager for the warm weather, or maybe it is because the grass has such a dark green color this year.

Green, the color of money from the old days, makes you think happy thoughts. (I say old days because currency these days is multi-colored. Kind of play money looking.) Only blue can do you better. Blue can get you to the sky and the ocean in nothing flat. But, green is not so bad.

I put the old horse out to chop some grass. He seems really happy that warm weather is here. He even got down and tried to roll. Rolling to a horse is big stuff. He's kind of feeble, but he gave it a good try anyway.

The only partly negative thing about spring is that April brings more than May flowers. It also brings tax time. April 15th is the verboding day of reckoning for most of us who usually end up paying each year. If you owe, you take it right to the last day--sometimes the last second.

Really, everyone gripes to high heaven about taxes, but I don't think we really pay that much. I think that over the last few years I have averaged about 5% in federal and about the same for state. That's not too bad. It buys us an awful lot. I think most of us would be willing to pay a little more if Mr. President would just pay down the debt.

There needs to be a check-off box on the 1040 form of income tax that allows people who get refunds to donate a portion of their refund to pay down the national debt. I bet all kinds of folks would donate to that. I know that on the Ohio state form there are check-offs for clean water and wildlife preservation. Barbara always makes me donate to that if, by chance, I get a refund.

Hey, it's only money, and we sure can't take it with us when we leave this mortal coil. They can put a box on the 1040 about contributing to the presidential campaign fund; hence, they can do one for the national debt.

Most people want to do their part. Only the greedy don't.