OPINION - Editorial

Now you work for you

The date of freedom is April 19

Oh, freedom! (freedom!)

Freedom! (freedom!)

Oh, freedom, yeah, freedom!

--Aretha Franklin

We saw a picture the other day of a Tax Freedom Day bash, complete with cake for the celebration. The holiday must've come early in Arkansas this year. Like Easter a few weeks ago.

Because the folks at the Tax Foundation (taxfoundation.org) say today is actually Tax Freedom Day for most Americans. That is, every hour the average American worked so far this year has gone to pay taxes--national, state and local. And only now, as the weather warms up and baseball is in full swing, will you begin working for ... you. So enjoy your drive to work this morning, this 109th morning of the year, for the money you bring home in your next paycheck, Gentle Reader, will truly be yours.

Can you imagine how long We the People might have to work this year to actually pay for what our government spends in our name? That is, if we included this year's federal borrowing, too? After all, the feds still put billions on the credit card every month, pushing the national debt to record levels all the time. If American taxpayers had to pay the government's bills as we went, we might be working into the summer before our money became ours.

Those who keep up with the math say Tax Freedom Day did come about a half a week early this year because of the tax cuts that the Republican Congress and Republican president pushed through back in January. Which is some kind of good news. But it still doesn't change the fact that we've gone over 100 days in a 365-day calendar year and have only just now stopped paying the government for services rendered.

How much money are we talking about? The Office of Management and Budget says for the next fiscal year, the United States government will collect $3.422 trillion in taxes. That's just the federal take. Include state and local taxes, and the tab goes north of $5 trillion. Folks, we in the United States will pay more in taxes this year than we will pay for food, clothing and housing.

Combined.

So today, finally, we Americans can start putting money back into food and housing. And into life. Imagine, it was only at the turn of the last century that this day of freedom came in January. And we could celebrate in the early months of the year.

Call it inflation. And we all pay for it.

Commentary on 04/19/2018

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