Taxes are not the enemy

Some thoughts on tax day.
Taxes are not the enemy. Corrupt politicians who just love their pork are the enemy. Corporate lawyers and tax lawyers who get their obscenely wealthy clients OUT of paying their taxes are the enemy. And those poor schmucks who took part in those ridiculous "tea parties" are just ignorant fools.

On tax day, I'd like to give a shout out to the following tax-payer supported items that make life bearable, and sometimes downright pleasant. And thank YOU, the Amercian Taxpayer, for each and every one of them:

Police, firefighters, enhanced 9-1-1, students loans, PELL grants, public schools, Head Start, snow plows, municipal swimming pools, parks, playgrounds, universities, sidewalks, bike trails, the interstate highway system, special education, SSI, unemployment, food stamps, disability, state parks, national parks, campgrounds, jails, public defenders, water right out of my tap, inspected meat, sewer systems, flood control measures, the National Guard, the Postal Service, local/state/federal websites, city administration, rural electrification, the GI Bill, libraries, parking lots, street sweepers, animal control, the Dept of Natural Resources, National Weather Service, invasive species control, driver education in schools, stop signs, traffic control, highway repair, social workers, substance abuse counselors, the Army Corps of Engineers, public transportation, museums, history centers, historic preservation, arts programs, garbage pick up, recycling programs, community gardens, municipal compost sites, city recreation programs, foster care, crisis nurseries, medicaid, medicare, social security, Centers for Disease Control, National Institutes of Mental Health, Americorps, . . . . .

Have I missed any? They aren't perfect but I for one am willing to pay taxes to keep them all.