Tax Season

We are cheerful taxpayers. My wife and I live in San Francisco and happily pay our taxes.  We live in the United States of America and pay taxes to support health care, programs to help feed the poor, house the homeless, protect our air, food and water supply. We don’t like supporting wars, torture and drones. Debt is a splendid myth and propaganda weapon. We live in debt as we have a mortgage that we will never see paid off.  We have a credit card that gets a hefty payment each month. Most Americans live in debt, even the 1%.

My wife is a retired high school English teacher. She taught in Roman Catholic High Schools in the city for over thirty years. I am a retired priest of the Episcopal Church and worked for 46 years. We have modest pensions, social security and some investments. Yes, there is a lurch in my stomach when I pay the tax bill.

However, we see the tragedy of children being hungry and people who cannot afford eye drops before going blind. Only the government can provide adequate health care insurance for all, fund programs to feed and house those whom capitalism leaves in its wake. Only the government will do something to cleanse and support the environment. Only the government can bring some justice and fairness to many in the ruthless business and banking industry.

We pay our taxes in gratitude for our country, blemishes and all.

As imperfect but serious Christians we have “a preferential option for the poor.”