BLAH
Thank merciful heaven April 15 has come and gone (well, not for a few hours technically, for you last-minuters out there). I found a happy surprise when I did my taxes that I had a refund coming to me (which, yes, means I paid too damn much over the course of the rest of the year, I know). And part of the happy surprise was that the Bush tax cuts ended up with me having a lower overall tax bill this year, for which I for one am happy. Not everyone I've spoken to is.

Some individuals I know are actually angry at having received a refund this year based on the reduced tax rates and increased child tax credits permitted this year. Since for the first six months of the year everyone's withholding was calculated at the higher rate, almost everyone should have received a refund this year unless they were shrewd enough to trick their company's payroll department into withholding during the last six months of the year at a lower than normal rate.

I for one am pleased to keep more of the money that I work to earn, instead of less, but for those who find their refund check nothing more than a troubling reminder that George Bush has raped and pillaged the Treasury and singlehandedly wrecked the economy such that all posterity will curse his name, I direct you to the third column of page 60 on your Federal 1040 instruction book:

How Do You Make a Gift To Reduce the Public Debt?
If you wish to do so, make a check payable to "Bureau of the Public Debt." You can send it to: Bureau of the Public Debt, Department G, PO Box 2188, Parkersburg, WV 26106-2188. Or you can enclose the check with your income tax return when you file.

I offer this as a helpful suggestion to those magnanimous liberals out there who feel angry because they paid too little tax. Just pay whatever extra you think makes up your fair share, and don't ruin it for the rest of us. If you're really the utterly selfless bunch John Kerry seems to suggest you are, the coffers should be full in no time.

And! Remember this helpful tip for those considering making such a gift:

TIP You may be able to deduct this gift on your 2004 tax return.

The mystery majesty of government at work.

JKS.