TEFT

TAXATION ONCE WAS REGARDED AS A CITIZEN'S GIFT TO THE GOVERNMENT TO PROTECT HIM FROM FOREIGN INVADERS AND PERHAPS BUILD ROADS TO SOMEWHERE. TO TIFT - A NEOLOGISM FOR TAX AND GIFT COMBINED - ALMOST MADE ONE FEEL WARM AND FUZZY DOING THE RIGHT THING. TIMES HAVE CHANGED THE VOWEL FROM I TO E; TODAY TEFT - FOR TAX AND THEFT - SHOULD MAKE AMERICANS' BLOOD BOIL.

TAXATION IS LEGALIZED THEFT THAT PENALIZES AND SUBSIDIZES BUT NEVER RATIONALIZES EXPENDITURES. WE ARE NOT GETTING OUR MONEY'S WORTH IN PUBLIC EDUCATION, YET I HEARD ANOTHER EDUCATOR, AD NAUSEAM, PANT FOR GOVERNMENT FUNDING AND GRANTS TO HELP PAY FOR MORE STUDENTS. ENROLLMENT WAS DOWN IN HIS DISTRICT, SO IF MORE STUDENTS COULD NOT BE FOUND, MORE MONEY WOULD NOT BE FORTHCOMING. HIS WAS A GIMME CRISIS. ANOTHER GIVEAWAY PROBLEM HAS OCCURRED WHEN THE GOVERNMENT ENCOURAGED CREDIT FOR 'POOR' CUSTOMERS WHO CAN'T PAY, BUT NOW ENCOURAGES CUTTING OFF THEIR FUNDING BECAUSE THEY CAN'T PAY. I THOUGH ANYONE WHO DEFAULTS SHOULD BE BARRED FROM FURTHER FUNDING? A REALISTIC PERSPECTIVE ALSO ABSENTS ITSELF FROM TRAGEDIES. THE BODY COUNT FROM ONE TORNADO AND ONE AUTO PILEUP, 16, EQUALS HALF THE TOTAL OF THE VICTIMS OF VIRGINIA TECH MASSACRE, 32, BUT THE NEWS MEDIA DRIVES PAST THIS STATISTIC LIKE, UH, JUST A STATISTIC. THE ONLY MEMORIALS WILL PROBABLY BE LITTLE WREATHS STAKED INTO THE GROUND IN CEMETERIES OR ALONG SELECTED PATCHES ON THE BERM OF HIGHWAYS.

COMMON SENSE IS STILL UNNOTICED ROAD-KILL UNWORTHY OF TABULATION ACROSS AMERICA.