The infamous April 15th now carries double duty as a day of infamy: it’s the anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombing and the deadline for Americans to slog through a 73,954-page* tax code. I had some pretty strong reactions to the marathon bombing (see HERE and HERE) and was heartened today to see coverage of the one-year memorial service for victims of the cowardly act of two degenerates. Boston Strong!
As far as tax day goes, what can one say? Our central planners seek to affect behavior by penalizing some and giving breaks to others. Commentator Jay Nordlinger, on National Review’s blog “The Corner” recalls his commiseration with William F. Buckley:
Bill Buckley and I used to share a complaint about the tax code, and this is the way we would put it, when complaining together: The tax code pits Americans against one another. It pits homeowners against renters, married people against unmarried people, people with children against people without children, people with children going to college against people with children going into trades — and on and on. The tax code is packed with social policy, and bias. That’s one reason I say, a pox on it. (http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/375797/hardy-perennial-jay-nordlinger)
That last point is what frosts me – the use of the tax code as a medium of social policy. As a good share (if not most) legislation is written by lobbyists and often not read by those voting – conservatives can bemoan the “central planning” and coercive aspects of tax law and liberals can bemoan the influence of big business on the code.
Okay, I’ll now step down from my soap box.
There are two good things about this particular April 15th. The first is that it happens to be Passover. When I was 21 or 22, my mother and I were invited to attend Seder at our neighbor’s house (one year, we invited the Perelman’s to Easter Brunch at our house – I still remember Leo sneaking bacon when Leona was out of the room and Leona doing the same thing when Leo was out!). This was a wonderful experience for me – I still recall the traditions and food. Also, I remember that Leo insisted that his daughter (probably 18 at the time) and I hunt for the geld! Have I dropped enough of a hint to say I’d love to attend another Seder? Shabbat Shalom!
The other good thing is that this is the fifteenth anniversary of acquiring my farm. The place had been a rental property for 20+ years prior to my purchase and was in need of a lot of love. Every wall was painted a light pink in contrast to the baby-shit brown indoor/outdoor carpeting laid throughout the house. Since moving in – with the help of many friends – the place has been transformed into one of the happiest places on earth. In another post, I estimated that I’ve hosted around 2,000 or so people for dinners, cider pressing, hunting, fishing, shooting, planting trees and general fun. I’ve had a couple of temporary lodgers, hosted surprise parties, bachelor parties and wedding anniversaries, and got to wander the 46 acres with an incredible Labrador retriever named Shakespeare.
April 15th isn’t so scary (of course, it did help that I filed in January!).
Image from: http://publicdomainclip-art.blogspot.com/2008/03/federal-tax-form-1040.html
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Please be nice, sit up straight, don't mumble, be kind to animals and your family.