Here's your receipt

We're buying the country; we want a receipt

“ April 15th (well, this year, April 18th) gets billed as tax day, it’s actually “purchase the federal government for a year” day. We’re not just spending money. We’re buying something. And over the last year, the centrist-left think tank Third Way and the center-left journal Democracy have mounted an extraordinary campaign to persuade politicians and the IRS that we should be told what, exactly, we’re purchasing. The idea is to give each and every taxpayer a receipt. [Ezra "ya doesn't have to call me Krugman" Klein] ” Ahem. "Center-left," when used by a Liberal is not quite what anyone else would use. That said, and knowing these guys like I know these guys, I'll guess this "receipt" business appeals to Klein because it shows National Defense costing as much as Social Security, fer chrisake!  Is there anybody who won't see red over that injustice? Still, I kind of like the idea of letting people see what they're buying.  About half the adults in the country might be shamed to see they haven't paid a red cent for any of this stuff.  Of course, that there right at the end is where the real tale is told.  This is a credit card statement from the Gummint Credit Card Co. It shows you made the minimum payment on your bill. A debt you will never pay off, because the gummint sumbitch is now actually with you everywhere you go, and keeps buying sh*t you don't want, don't need, and for people who, in many cases, shouldn't even be here! If Ezra really wanted people to enjoy the thrill of buying gummint services, employees would pick up their pay, and move from table to table while each agency took their "share" from your poke.  Prolly cause a tax riot though.  That's why gummint made it illegal to take deductions, personal like.