Preparing for tax-time can be severe. Trying to estimate what I will owe, I decide it's best to go with worst case scenario. No magic wand in hand, a number is picked from the sky. Amazingly I've overshot my estimate by quite a bit, or so says my accountant. Oh, sweet relief. Two weeks later, dismay takes over as the final report arrives, and it is to-the-penny the same amount as my random, what-do-I-know number.

I decided to do some research. The Tax Breakdown Project explains that more than thirty major departments and their sub-departments, such as Agriculture, Education, Transportation and Veteran Affairs, are beneficiaries of my hard earned cash. In other countries, Denmark for example, everything is paid for on the government's tab including healthcare, education, and elderly care. They hold the record of the heaviest tax burden in the world. The Danish car buyer pays a registration fee of 180% plus a 25% VAT (value added tax which everyone pays on ALL goods and services) for a total of 205% tax on top of the cost of the car. In addition, his income is taxed at 68%. Maybe the salaries in Denmark even out the cost of living. I don't know. Godt, tak. Nej tak. That's Danish for, "Well, thank you, no thank you."

I wrote out my checks to Uncle Sam with gratitude this year. Thank you for the national parks, for my children's education, and the roads that enable me to travel.  Thank you for taking care of our veterans and their families. Go to a VA hospital. This system is far from perfect, but it doesn't give us an excuse to blow off additional community needs. I sign, insert, lick and stick and it makes me feel pretty good.