It’s that time of year again. Taxes. Sigh.
I am not someone who gets too worked up over taxes. I believe there is a price to pay in order to live in a civilized society, and that price is tax. After all, the military doesn’t appear out of thin air, roads don’t build and maintain themselves, and people are not born knowing how to read and write. That being said, when presented with the amount of money we are required to pay for taxes this year, my husband became frustrated and cranky and I came dangerously close to swallowing my own tongue.
I never used to give much thought to taxes, primarily because I didn’t have to pay any. Of course I also used to drink beer for breakfast and stockpile cans of ravioli in case I needed to serve a particularly romantic dinner. But now that I’m a grown-up – and have the gray hairs to prove it – the pedestrian subject of income tax warrants much more attention. Especially since I have to pay it now.
As a result, I’ve been doing some thinking about where exactly my tax dollars are going. Admittedly I haven’t examined this too closely because I’m not an economist and I know that there are a multitude of aspects of the issue that I do not understand. And also, I’m lazy. But anyway, after doing some off-the-top-of-my-head consideration, I’m pretty sure I can make America’s economy better. The solution? Kick that bitch NASA to the curb.
Don’t get me wrong, because I know that NASA has done a lot. Without them we wouldn’t have cell phones, satellite television, or Interplanet Janet. And a world without the full complement of Schoolhouse Rock characters is not one in which I wish to live. But by my estimation, NASA receives about 80 gazillion dollars in government funding per year. While I enjoy pretty pictures of planets and meteors and shit as much as the next person, is this really where we want our hard-earned dinero to go? Can’t we take that dough and try to find a cure for AIDS? Cancer? Athlete’s Foot?
Not long ago I observed a discussion concerning this very subject. One of the points made was that China would surpass our space program if we didn’t keep up the pace.* To that I have this response: Who gives a shit? If China (or whoever) wants to get into a pissing contest, getting all “We visited planet JW447 eight times but you only went twice, neener neener,” then let them. They can take their Kung Pao to Neptune and call it a day. The fear of someone else one-upping us is no reason to spend gazillions of dollars on something that no one really gives a crap about. Do we really need a multimillion dollar contraption to go to other planets, take pictures, and then self-destruct? Sure it’s interesting and we’ve learned a great deal about the atmosphere on some moon somewhere. But it’s some moon… somewhere.
This is not to say that I think we should do away with the space program altogether, because god knows that rocket scientists need love too, and knowledge is a wonderful thing. But 600 brazillian dollars? Damn.
If only I were in charge of the world. There would be fewer rockets, and more beer and ravioli for everyone.
*Or was it Japan? I can’t recall. It was one of the two. And yes, I could research it, but I’m lazy, remember?
I am not someone who gets too worked up over taxes. I believe there is a price to pay in order to live in a civilized society, and that price is tax. After all, the military doesn’t appear out of thin air, roads don’t build and maintain themselves, and people are not born knowing how to read and write. That being said, when presented with the amount of money we are required to pay for taxes this year, my husband became frustrated and cranky and I came dangerously close to swallowing my own tongue.
I never used to give much thought to taxes, primarily because I didn’t have to pay any. Of course I also used to drink beer for breakfast and stockpile cans of ravioli in case I needed to serve a particularly romantic dinner. But now that I’m a grown-up – and have the gray hairs to prove it – the pedestrian subject of income tax warrants much more attention. Especially since I have to pay it now.
As a result, I’ve been doing some thinking about where exactly my tax dollars are going. Admittedly I haven’t examined this too closely because I’m not an economist and I know that there are a multitude of aspects of the issue that I do not understand. And also, I’m lazy. But anyway, after doing some off-the-top-of-my-head consideration, I’m pretty sure I can make America’s economy better. The solution? Kick that bitch NASA to the curb.
Don’t get me wrong, because I know that NASA has done a lot. Without them we wouldn’t have cell phones, satellite television, or Interplanet Janet. And a world without the full complement of Schoolhouse Rock characters is not one in which I wish to live. But by my estimation, NASA receives about 80 gazillion dollars in government funding per year. While I enjoy pretty pictures of planets and meteors and shit as much as the next person, is this really where we want our hard-earned dinero to go? Can’t we take that dough and try to find a cure for AIDS? Cancer? Athlete’s Foot?
Not long ago I observed a discussion concerning this very subject. One of the points made was that China would surpass our space program if we didn’t keep up the pace.* To that I have this response: Who gives a shit? If China (or whoever) wants to get into a pissing contest, getting all “We visited planet JW447 eight times but you only went twice, neener neener,” then let them. They can take their Kung Pao to Neptune and call it a day. The fear of someone else one-upping us is no reason to spend gazillions of dollars on something that no one really gives a crap about. Do we really need a multimillion dollar contraption to go to other planets, take pictures, and then self-destruct? Sure it’s interesting and we’ve learned a great deal about the atmosphere on some moon somewhere. But it’s some moon… somewhere.
This is not to say that I think we should do away with the space program altogether, because god knows that rocket scientists need love too, and knowledge is a wonderful thing. But 600 brazillian dollars? Damn.
If only I were in charge of the world. There would be fewer rockets, and more beer and ravioli for everyone.
*Or was it Japan? I can’t recall. It was one of the two. And yes, I could research it, but I’m lazy, remember?
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home