Current Observations: Death and Taxes

I opened this week's issue of my local newspaper, The Lake Stevens Jounal, and was delighted to read the following editorial:

What's that saying about death and taxes?

BY PAM STEVENS | EDITOR

Ah, taxes! One of the constants in life, something we can always count on. That and death and if things keep going like they are, taxes may be the death of us and you still won't be able to get away from paying taxes. Inheritance taxes anyone?

Did you know that in the last 100 years, the United States has added over 40 new taxes?

The irony of it is that the more taxes we pay, the more our country seems to go into debt and it turns into this vicious cycle of raising taxes, borrowing more money; raise the taxes and borrow more.

When will the madness stop?

How many of us can use this way of thinking in our home budgets before we go bankrupt? (There are probably taxes for that too.)

Now, Senator Obama is promising to raise teacher's pay, get everyone insured and he is even promising college incentives to up and coming college students.

While all of this sounds good in theory, when we are in a recession with record breaking gas prices, increasing food costs and many families hanging on by their fingernails, how can we promise more money going out without the reality of more money having to come in?

Granted, Obama isn't the only candidate making big campaign promises but what all of these promises come down to is money yours and mine!
When retired seniors are forced out of their homes, which are paid for, because they can no longer afford the taxes on them, it is a sad day in this country.

After changing cellular phone companies, it was a good time to really look at the charges. When we left the store we had been promised a certain price for the services we were going to receive. When we actually got the bill, the taxes on those services was pushed into a whole different ballpark. Over 18 percent of our bill was taxes.

Many of these new taxes are targeted to companies. Medicare tax, unemployment tax both state and federal, Inventory tax, all sorts of telephone usage taxes, just to name a few.

How are small businesses supposed to stay in business when they are taxed at every turn?

There are so many great companies here in Lake Stevens I would hate to see these small companies go under because of the taxes they are supposed to pay.

Yes, the costs are put into the goods and services provided so that the consumer actually pays for them but there comes a point when the consumer can no longer afford goods and services from some providers. Therefore, the company goes under and more people need the government's help (which they get through our taxes, of course).

The United States Congress has had talks in the past few weeks, with CEO's of oil companies, demanding to know why they have high profits and how much money they take home each year.

While these numbers are staggering, oil companies insist that their profits are in line.

So, whom does the government answer to? Why don't they quit charging us so much in gas tax (another tax that has been added in the last hundred years) and stay within the budget they have been given like the rest of us try to do each and every month?

I'm sure that if we Washingtonians knew how much gas prices were going to be we would never have approved the consistent gas tax hikes we have incurred.

Now is the time to look at every bill you receive and see what we really pay in taxes, add them up, talk to your state and federal lawmakers and let them know how you feel about it.

Almost every household has had to cut back somewhere, now it's the government's turn.