There is only one... of me and watch how you step

I was about to do something bad, but got distracted and wrote some replies and that has me on a roll in a different direction... it wasn't evil, just bad, which in degree is almost always excusable, or so I would tell myself if I were caught. Since I haven't done anything bad this morning it must be going to be a beautiful day. Anyway, back to the thought in the title.

There is only one of me, and I am, by law, a taxpayer - so why are there so many layers of government taxing me? What have I done to deserve so much painful attention and extraction? Is it that I was born, that I work, that I invest, that I can smile and think about pretty young women? Is it that I as an individual don't get to decide, my one vote among millions just doesn't count. If I were a Senator in Washington DC I would only have ninety-nine others that would water down my choice, in Congress a few hundred others. If I were a state I would be one of fifty. They (THE POWERS THAT BE) seem to have designed the entire system so I feel I have choice and opportunity to vote - but the reality is that my vote doesn't count, in Washington they keep counting until King County gets a number that picks the proper Governess, and in Florida and Ohio the courts get to decide what a proper vote is until the correct President is selected, or something like that. If I sat out the election it would upset them (THE POWERS THAT BE) only if large bunches of me's would, since I am only one taxpayer and voter, it doesn't bother them at all. All the former Felons can't vote and there are several million of them - wow, several million disenfranchised people? Nah, there can't be that many, can there? Well, back to the important ONE, me, the taxpayer the individual person serving so many Masters.

Federal Government, State Government, County Government (City Government too if you live in the proper locations) - why do they feel the need to suck from my little pile of plunder? I work hard for that, and I do understand that my taxes, with all the blood sucked from other taxpayers build schools, roads, defend my home and country, promote greatness and periodic goodness and in general I am all for that. Here in the Great Northwest, there was a Kingdome and it was home to two professional teams, one baseball and one football - they used the dome for other stuff as well. But the teams, which make lots of money in their seasons, decided they needed new, better places to play, and wanted some of my pile of plunder to pay for it. They could have taken my ticket money and used it, but they decided that the taxpayer needed to make Seattle a first class sports city. The taxpayers voted NO - and they (The Local POWERS THAT BE) went around and over that vote and assumed the bonds and built the wonders and the teams play on. Now why would I want my grandchildren to pay for the lost Kingdome, the current venues and such? I am the fellow that is working to pay off my current debts so no one has to assume them if I crash on my motorcycle - I have insurance coverage to pay every debt I currently have off if I die - but they (THE POWERS THAT BE) are counting on more little taxpayers to pay off their excesses, sigh. What happens when we stop producing more little tax payers?

Ah, well, it isn't really important, I am only one - that is why the system is designed like this, and if I really wanted to I could become one of THE POWERS THAT BE, and live on top of the pile. But then I like myself a bit more where I worked to be a better person, a gentle man, and only the LAW makes me a taxpayer, a voter, a citizen. How much do I count the LAW? not too much : I am me because of my parents and grandparents, friends, relations, lovers, and mostly I am because of the Great I AM, and never because of THE POWERS THAT BE. There is only one of me.