For the second year in a row, I waited until the last minute to do our taxes. It’s a task I detest but usually don’t put off. If we end up having to pay I usually get them done and wait until the last day to mail it off.
Before there were so many changes and things to consider, way past my tax training courses and experience, it didn’t seem so tedious. Never seemed fair to me that if the government owes you money they don’t have to pay you any interest but if you owe them, you have to pay not only interest but penalties as well. Many people like getting big refunds — who doesn’t like extra money — but it’s kind of like using the federal government as a savings account without interest.
In a perfect world each of us would pay in just the right amount within a few bucks here and there. I have high hopes for a tax plan that will not only simplify it but make it more equitable for everyone across the board. When President Trump’s first attempt at health care failed, he said he was moving on to a tax plan. Then he reversed that plan saying healthcare had to come first. He also said he wanted to get the tax plan right.
The last time any reforms were made to the tax code was in 1986. That overhaul, in my opinion did not go far enough. Taxes shouldn’t be so complicated and you shouldn’t have to fill out so many forms. I’ve always been an advocate for a flat rate fair tax. Everyone pays the same.
I am sure the president is finding out, in government, nothing is as easy as it you may think. There are too many hands in the pot, along with egos because everyone wants their way. A major overhaul could also put many IRS employees out of work and that won’t make them very happy.
I support the president but he needs to stay on track and not jump from one thing to another. He said he would repeal Obamacare on day one which was a wild claim as he should have known it would take time. His ultimatum of getting it done or he would move on, didn’t work in Washington.
The president is getting a quick lesson in government not being quite like the business world. If it was, he probably could have pulled off repealing the Affordable Care Act. Because people, once they have them, tend to like government benefits. I’m sure there was lots of flack all around. However, I think if a suitable replacement had been formulated and you could find a way to get inflated egos and turf wars out of the way, it could have gotten done the first time.
Though most Democrats opposed repealing, had a way been found to try and get input from them on a friendly level, instead of adversarial, the way might have not been so thorny. I just don’t see how you make any congressman or woman get over themselves and do what is in the best interest of the people as a whole. They all seem to have forgotten they serve the people. I am a little disappointed in the president’s negotiating skills which I thought was one of his strong points. But then again, Washington is a whole new ballgame in all areas.
Trump has had more opposition in the beginning than any other president. From the press on up. Yes, he can take responsibility for some of that but not all. It’s a sad state of society as a whole. Both parties have lost their way and need revitalization. Perhaps the time has come to only have one party – the people’s — and make it non-partisan. I’m sure that will never happen! And really, that’s probably not the answer.
Trump has powers of persuasion. We witnessed it in his business activities so perhaps he needs to spend a little more time doing so. President Truman once said that he sat in the President’s chair “all day trying to persuade people to do the things they ought to have sense enough to do without my persuading them. That’s all the powers of the President amount to.” He certainly can’t order congressional members to do something. He has to persuade them to his way of thinking. If he wants to succeed he’s got to figure out a way to work with them all, like it or not.
We, the people, can help by staying in contact with our congressional representatives and letting them know what we want from them. While some may not seem to care, enough pressure can change their tune. I know it’s easy to become frustrated and disillusioned but we have to stay the course and let our voices be heard if we want anything to change.
CORRECTION: Sometimes when I write, especially if I get behind, my thoughts tend to run together. Then when it gets proofread and changes get made, two sentences run together and it changes what I meant. When I re-read it, I tend to read as I meant it to be not as it is written. Last week, that happened with my column. Christ’s legs were not broken, the legs of the two thieves were broken to hasten their death. I also had written that as people we are broken and Christ’s cruxification made us whole. I apologize it came out as it did because it was not accurate. I discovered it Friday when reading over the paper after publication. One reader emailed me over the weekend which reminded me to make the correction. Thanks to everyone who reads and keeps us straight. We do appreciate it.©2017

VICTORIA SIMMONS is an author, columnist, motivational speaker, minister and publisher of The Georgia Post/Byron Buzz. Contact her at: vsimmons54@gmail.com