End of March, Tax Time... procrastination defeated

Don't you know that once a year one has to account for being a successful citizen of the United States of America - and file your income tax return. Why do I feel like I am being punished for being able to take care of myself and my family? Why is it difficult to read the tax booklets and figure the tax owed? Why is it easier to pay for someone else to take all your documents (that you must provide) and file the return, and the government takes that cost from your income, but you couldn't charge yourself for doing the same service? Why do I have to pay the postage, isn't that a government function?

Well, I went with TurboTax, not realizing what it was now costing me for the special edition to account for the stock sales and such. Easier not to sell the stock, but it was interesting to watch it grow for all those years a little at a time and split and change value, did have one loser, most gained and the government wanted their cut, sigh. See the Communist countries didn't have to worry about that, there are other ways to mess with their people. Anyway, I answered all the questions, put in all the numbers, and could have done it with the forms from the local Library and a sharp pencil, but then would have worried that my mind is going - how do they want that added and subtracted and multiplied by what? It is done, a very cute motivational tool, the income tax due in the upper left corner, as you add income it gets larger, as you find deductions it gets smaller - that was cool. I do owe this year, but less than three hundred dollars. It will all be in the mail on Wednesday. Then again the wonderful magnificent government is going to send us money in May for being way too thrifty - should I invest it in Euros?

I have created a ripple in the Harmony of the Universe, I said something about money to my wife and she wants to question where it all went. The idea there was secret money, and that she can do so much better than I - well, I don't want to play that game any longer. She gets to start writing the checks, she needs to know how to do that anyway for when I am gone (how many tax years do I have left?) - I will go so much earlier when she finds out that the cost of her world is more than she knew. But I am only responsible for making her life that worry free, not for the price of things and the declining value of the dollar, I just have done that manly thing of grabbing the check and paying for those things she feels she has to have. That was wrong of me - the truth doesn't hurt, but it does shatter many dreams and desires, but adults don't live out fairy tales - they just go to the library and read them... one shouldn't get confused.

Update, Sunday evening, I went back over the income tax form, found some thing that didn't match my calculations and went back over and put the correct date relationship into the form and now I get a refund, that makes me feel better, but I do like the forms and booklet better than just the computer software - since it walks you through everything like you aren't awake and aware. But it was a solid program, I just didn't see what it was asking for properly and mark it correctly. Be sure you are correct, then verify.