The Milli Vannelli of protests brings out the whiners and obnoxiously selfish

Like millions of patriotic Americans, I spent yesterday working and getting my taxes in the mail.

Despite withholdings from my paychecks and the deductions for my mortgage interests and other deductions, I ended up writing a check for $341 to Uncle Sam because I had a chunk of income with no withholding taken out earned from freelancing. Once I left work yesterday, I rode home on the MichiVan Commuter Vanpool that receives a small federal subsidy, using the interstate highway paid for and maintained by state and federal tax dollars. Once I got home, I had just enough time to grab some clothes and go to my second job teaching swim lessons at the high school pool, paid for by state and my property taxes.

The point of the recap of my day? Simple. I agree, in part, with Republican-nominated U.S. Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes when he said:
“I like to pay taxes,“ he said. “They are the price we pay for civilized society.“

I agree with having to pay the price to live in a civilized society and the greatest country in the worlds, in my opinion, but I really don’t like to pay taxes all that much. I don’t like to pay taxes, but I know all of the good it does and that it’s my patriotic duty. I guess if I made enough money that I didn’t have to worry about a paying all my bills every month and keeping the mortgage up I would agree 100 percent with Justice Holmes.

I didn't get the opportunity to get out of my office yesterday to hear Sam the digital converter box promoter speak at the fake Astroturf “tea party” in Lansing because a co-worker was on vacation, and I had to man the office and could not leave for lunch hour. I tried to watch it on the Press & Argus web site. But it was lurching and unwatchable, but it turns out I didn’t miss anything; the same old rhetoric and lies that did not work in November. But the Washington, D.C. lobbying group that organized the farce did not get their money’s worth out of old Sam. He could not have spoken for more than 10 minutes.

I had to watch the recaps on the cable News channels when I finally got home, which was strange since I have been haring the lie since the February “tea parties” that the media was ignoring them. The one thing that struck me was that these people were protesting in parks and on the Capitol lawn; all things paid for with tax dollars. I also heard a much better description of the GOP rally from a Democrat. He called it the “Milli Vannelli” of protests.

Girl, you know it’s true.

I also agree somewhat with veteran journalist Jack Lessenberry - where I lifted the Holmes’s quote – when he says, “I like paying taxes.” “This is a pretty wonderful country, and I like to contribute my bit to it. That doesn’t mean I approve of everything the government does. I think every cent spent on the Iraq war is wasted, and I wish the feds would spend it on rebuilding our nation’s infrastructure instead.”

I agree with the later; the former; not so much. However, I understand the good it does and it’s the dues for being in the great club I am a member of. If I don’t agree with how it’s being spent, I let my elected representatives know, and I have not missed a single vote in the last 15 years; including city council, school board and primary elections.

To quote Mr. Lessenberry one more time with a sentiment I saw plenty of yesterday, “I don’t mind paying taxes, and regard those who whine about them as obnoxiously selfish.”

I wish I had said that.