F'n Taxes

I know I have it good. Really. And, I understand that it is expensive running schools, roads, etc. But...

We just got our "School Tax" bill. $6,500. In addition to this, we pay county property tax, state income tax, sales tax, registration and inspection fees for our cars, gas tax, alcohol tax, and, of course FEDERAL INCOME TAX. I know I'm leaving many taxes out of this.

The following piss me off:

1) Can't we just have ONE tax bill? That is, don't I, as a citizen, have the right to know how much I am paying to the government? The curent system makes it nearly impossible to do this math.

2) Over 1/3 of my son's school mates recieve reduced or free lunches. You want to guess what percentage of those parents smoke, drink or feed their kids fast food? You want to do that crap on your dime, help yourself. My dime? We need to talk about nicotine and alcohol free living and eating rice and beans. In addition, half of the EMS calls I go on have people on public assistance who have satilite TV, VCRs and snowmobiles. I PAY for these things. YOU pay for these things. This is WRONG.

3) The tax code. I have a Ph.D. My wife has a law degree AND a Ph.D. We pay someone else to do our taxes, because they are complicated enough that it would cost us more (in terms of time given our billable rate/hr) to do it ourselves. This is BAD. The tax code should be understandable to anyone with an IQ of 95 who can read. The current system just has to be simplified.

You too poor for your kids to get medical care? I'll help. You trying hard to get a job and can't? I'll help. You drinking a case a day, smoking a pack and a half, and feeding your kids twinkies and froot loops? I'd rather not, thanks.

Sorry, BAD DAY and then I come home to a 6.5K bill that I'm not in the mood for.