Just say no!

I did my taxes this last weekend. It's the American way. It's been awhile since I've worried about taxes. Ever since becoming unemployed, I'd have the occasional income from dividends and interest, or the sale of a stock. One year I even converted my traditional IRA into a Roth IRA, but it was small enough that I didn't have to pay any taxes on it since it was below the standard deduction.

Alas, I'm sad to report, I am no longer unemployed. I have joined the ranks of the self-employed, and running Atlas Quest is my job. =) Gotta pay taxes--not a whole lot mind you (the government doesn't require you pay much if you don't make much)--but for the first time in several years, I'm an honest-to-goodness tax-paying citizen. I'm helping to pay those poor soldiers stuck in Iraq, road improvements, teachers, and subsidizing farmers everywhere. And, I'm embarrassed to admit, helping to pay the president's salary.

But it's the American way. I'll get over it. The thing I don't get, however, that makes me mad is that little check box on my 1040 asking if I'd like three dollars to go towards the presidential election. HELLO?! Why would anyone but a politician check this box? Do you want to see your tax dollars used to create attack ads on television? Annoy you with stupid little banners people put up in their yards? And bumper stickers that you'll still see stuck on used cars for years and sometimes even decades after the election is over?

Checking this box supposedly does not cost you anything more. Oh really? Where, do you suppose this money comes from? That three dollars could have been used to help pay down the national deft. It could have been used to hire more teachers, fix broken bridges. And you want to throw it down the toilet so politicians can bad mouth each other?

Sure, it's only three dollars, but there are so many more needy places it can be used. Don't give it to the politicians. Use it for a better America instead. I'd like to change that box so if I check it, the president (or even my representatives in Congress) would be required to pay ME three bucks. See how they like it for a change.

Just say no to rich white guys asking for handouts. Let them earn it like the rest of the tax-paying American public.

Okay, that's not very fair. The top two Democrats for the presidential nomination are a woman and a black guy. I like that. I don't really know much about either of them. I know the woman was married to Bill Clinton and is the senator of New York, but outside of that, I really don't know a whole lot about her. The black guy is a senator for Illinois, is trying to quite smoking, and has a name strangely reminding me of Osama Bin Laden, but I won't hold that against him.

Normally, I don't care much about who's running for president so early in the race. The election is still over a year away and a lot can change before then, and I don't even know much about anyone who's running. Except that I absolutely love the idea of a minority being president of the United States. Black, female, gay, Hispanic, Asian, Native American--I don't really care. I'm tired of rich white guys running this country, and I just love the fact that in almost all probability, it will be a minority that will be the main contender for the presidential race for the Democratic party.

Okay, maybe a woman isn't technically a "minority" in this country--I think they actually outnumber men 50.1% to 49.9% or something like that, but there's never been a woman president before and I just want someone who's not a rich white guy in the oval office.

If you're tired of rich white guys running the country running this country, raise your hand? Yeah, I thought so. Let's give women and blacks a chance to screw things up too. It's only fair.

And check NO to giving them your hard earned money. Frankly, I don't think they've earned it.