Death and Taxes

 

In 1789, Benjamin Franklin wrote, ““Our new Constitution is now established, everything seems to promise it will be durable; but, in this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes.”  I’m guessing most people have only heard the “nothing is certain except death and taxes” part and probably don’t know it was originally penned in French shortly before the end of Franklin’s life.   Anyway, those additional details were new to me.   The letter was sent during the French Revolution to a friend Franklin was worried about.  For those of you who are also easily tempted into rambling down side roads, a link is provided:

 http://www.thisdayinquotes.com/2010/11/nothing-is-certain-except-death-and.html

For those who’ve remained on the main road (or somehow returned from the detour), I would like to bookend this paragraph with a quote by Will Rogers, “The only difference between death and taxes is that death doesn't get worse every time Congress meets.”

I didn’t actually take leave today to scour the Internet for historical background on Benjamin Franklin quotes, ponder the eventual demise facing us all, and certainly not to document all the interesting Internet sites I’ve visited today.  While I’ve been unequivocally prepared for my inevitable departure from this world for a good many years, I’ve only just started this year’s taxes today.  I began the morning well enough.  I downloaded all the forms and stacked all my supporting documents in organized piles.  However, my stomach vetoed my head’s desire to press forward with the day’s primary task.  Besides, I always get extra credit from Hyesuk when I willingly participate in our domestic chores.

Breakfast was great!  I made a delicious and healthy breakfast of bacon, eggs, hash browns, and a full pot of Starbuck’s coffee.  For those interested in learning more about the substantial health benefits of eating bacon and drinking coffee, I’ve included a link and an authoritative quote:

 http://www.medicalbillingschool.org/blog/health-benefits-of-bacon-infographic/?clean 

 Denise Webb has stated, “A recent study at the University of California at Davis even suggests that coffee may be good for you ... freshly brewed coffee contains antioxidant compounds that may carry as much power as vitamins C and E.” 



Thanks Ricky for sharing this.

 

During my last health checkup, my doctor actually agreed that coffee is beneficial (without sugar and cream), but he just cringed and shook his head on the bacon part.  Obviously, he doesn’t spend enough time on the Internet.  Otherwise, he’d be more inclined to listen to the sage wisdom of Thomas Jefferson, “I had rather be shut up in a very modest cottage with my books, my family and a few old friends, dining on simple bacon, and letting the world roll on as it liked, than to occupy the most splendid post, which any human power can give.”

After dropping Hyesuk off at work, spending a few hours at the library, buying groceries, and finishing lunch, I finally sat down at the computer.   Then I remembered a relevant item I’d been putting off.  Finding my July 24 post in Facebook only took a few minutes:

Our IRS saga continues. Today I received a letter that one inquiry is closed and Amount Due is $0.00. Such an empty victory. I so wanted another paragraph admitting I was right and they were wrong. On another note, they sent us a check, earlier in the week, for almost $4,500 for another year's return. Now I'm torn between listening to Hyesuk telling me to just trust them, or putting myself in a moral dilemma if I discover they're wrong again. Mom said Grandma and Grandpa were once in the same situation and ended up giving the money back. I put the check in the bank today and will look later this week to see if we lose the money or my undefeated season.

Since I was pretty much certain we’d have to send Uncle Sam a check again this year, I needed to find out if the money I’d sent aside earlier was actually ours to give back.  After several hours, the truth was finally revealed through my high school math teacher’s drawling voice, “Kelly, I’m afraid you mistakenly used Kit Carson Wildcat mathematics.  In Tiger Algebra, it’s divide and then subtract, not subtract first and then divide.”  For those of you who knew Mr. Teague, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if you can also still hear his voice, remember how Calculus saved his life in WWII, or the guidance he gave to Waylon Jennings, “Just in case making music doesn’t work out Waylon, you ought to consider learning some Geometry and Trigonometry.”  My brother Gary did a great impersonation of Mr. Teague, and like Waylon, received personalized career advice from him, “Just in case you don’t make it as a comedian Gary,...”   I don’t much like admitting when I’m wrong and probably would’ve just kept quiet about my error if fond memories of Mr. Teague hadn’t surfaced.    In my own words, “Great teachers make a big difference for a long time.”

My experience with the Ghost of Past Taxes left me mentally drained, somewhat conflicted between my fallibility and good fortune, and totally unprepared to battle my present foe.  I decided a long hot bath would solve all my problems. Actually, everything above resulted from this decision.  After quickly jotting down a few notes on my blog ideas, I took a nap.

 

My nap ended with Hyesuk calling about her ride.    On the way home, I took her out for dinner and snapped a picture for the blog.  After we got home, I started writing everything down on the computer.  That's where I am now.  Hyesuk has already gone to bed (another way of saying it’s well past my normal bedtime).  Looking back on the day, I don’t have any regrets, especially over the nap.  I even have a new found respect for an honest tax auditor who gives money back with the same righteous zeal as when taking it.  Besides, I still have two days  to, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s.”