Still pretty steamed

You know, at one point I considered joining the military.  I considered it because on one level it’s a very patriotic thing to do—join the military and offer to fight for my country.  On another level, that patriotic act is rewarded with tuition grants and loans, VA benefits in housing, medical care and insurance, and various tax breaks, deductions, and credits.  And on yet another level there’s a process of personal discovery and strengthening that comes from the refining fire that is boot camp, deployment, and potentially combat that teaches you not only self reliance but reliance on your band of brothers to pull you through some dark, trying moments.  If one fails, potentially all fail.  Though you must perform alone, your success is never yours alone.  Even Marines, who are true “armies of one”, do not stand alone—engage one Marine, engage the whole corps.

 

But now I know that rather than joining the military I could just send some more money to the government.  I suppose I can expect in return breaks from tuition grants and loans, benefits in housing, medical care, and insurance, and various other tax breaks, deductions, and credits to be provided for that patriotic duty of writing a big, fat check and throwing it into the furnace of government consumption, but most of those breaks are tied to income.  So, sure, I could be “patriotic” and send in extra money—because I’m sure Joe Biden has NEVER taken a deduction or tax credit in his whole life because if paying MORE in taxes is patriotic, then doing what you can to reduce your tax burden is the exact opposite of patriotic—or I could be “patriotic” and work to actually defend the freedoms most people take for granted.  Like the freedom to say the stupidest things EVER, and the freedom of the press to (not) report on those completely stupid things.

 

Or I could just pay higher taxes.

 

Please, please, please help me be more patriotic, Senator Joe.  Please, please, please raise my taxes.  After all, we are clearly fools who must be separated from our money.  Thank you, thank you, thank you…  I may have done something completely irresponsible like invest in my family’s future with MY MONEY!!  Thank you SO MUCH for offering to take it from me so that I can be patriotic!  I guess I can go out and burn my flag and piss on a veteran’s grave, because I just wrote a check to the US Treasury.  HOORAY!!