On Tax Day this year, I have been thinking about all that I have to thank taxes for, and the list is long.
Thanks to taxes, I got a great education in our public school system, then went on to college with low-interest loans. My wife was able to buy our house in 2005 thanks in part to a no-interest down-payment loan for new homeowners. Our house has clean water, electricity, and natural gas. Last year we made huge energy efficiency improvements in our 100-year-old house thanks to government energy programs. Our street is cleaned and plowed; our trash and recycling are picked up. We listen to public radio and go to art museums and orchestra concerts. If there’s a fire, firefighters will come to save us. If there’s a crime, the police will come to help us. To get there, these brave men and women will drive on public roads. When my car is in the shop, I can take the bus to work. Soon I will be able to take the light rail. We borrow books from our library. Government rules and regulations keep us safe from corporate abuses. In the summer, we can go to the Boundary Waters, one of the most pristine natural environments in the world, because our government had the foresight – and the funding – to protect it.
I wish we were spending less on our military, with a focus on defense and peace, not aggression. But thanks to taxes, I have a democracy in which I can work to make my opinion heard.
Thank you taxes! What services are you thankful for? Head to www.ThankTaxes.org and share your thanks.
Steve Rogness
