« If I knew then what... | Main | The Post Office... »
 

Entry bubble Thanks to the Folks at the IRS

By: Ginger | January 30, 2009 | Category: General

Person filling out tax formMy husband worked for the IRS for 10 years. At social gatherings people would ask him what he did and he would say, “I work for the IRS.” Typically someone would respond with negative comments about taxes, the IRS, or the government, in general. My husband would politely listen to the comments. One time, this person began ranting at him as if he, as an IRS employee, was personally pocketing all the tax dollars collected to buy a Porsche and some bonbons. The look in my husband’s eyes said he’d had enough. Not known for holding back when he is annoyed, he proceeded to… well, let’s just say, nothing brings a friendly barbecue to a screeching halt like three simple words and a full moon in the middle of the day.

The thing is, most people think they pay too much in taxes—even IRS employees do—but our tax dollars are paying for services and programs that help all of us. Here are just a few examples:

The Department of Commerce, the Department of the Treasury, the Federal Trade Commission, the Commodities Futures Trading Commission, the Federal Reserve Board, the National Credit Union Administration, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation regulate financial and commercial matters. They assist consumers to protect their hard-earned dollars.

The Department of Transportation, the Federal Communications Commission, the United States Postal Service, the Department of the Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Department of Energy regulate infrastructure, utilities, and basic services.

The Department of Veterans Affairs, the Social Security Administration, the Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Department of Labor, and the Department of Education are agencies concerned with the health, benefits, education, and welfare of our citizens.

The Department of Defense, Homeland Security, Central Intelligence Agency, Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of State, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, and the Department of Justice are concerned with the defense, protection, and safety of our country and our citizens either home or abroad.

To see all of government’s services and programs go to USA.gov.

If there are some out there who would like to tell me how poorly they think these agencies are performing, go right ahead. Your tax dollars support a democratic government that ensures you have the right to state your opinions and complaints. Are your tax dollars being well spent? What needs to be improved? What government services do you receive or know of that you think are well worth your taxes?

| View Comments [17] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: ginger   government_programs   government_services   taxes  

Comments (17):

blue comment bubble Posted by Emily on January 30, 2009 at 08:03 AM EST

Ginger, I'm not going to spout off about the IRS. I just wanted to say how much I admire your bringing up this decidedly unpopular viewpoint. You're a brave soul!

Comment Permalink

blue comment bubble Posted by Ginger on January 30, 2009 at 08:18 AM EST

Emily, I will no doubt get some folks who will tell my I am full of it, so your kind words mean a lot to me.

Comment Permalink

blue comment bubble Posted by ET on January 30, 2009 at 08:53 AM EST

You don't get something for nothing.

You want reasonable assurance that the food you eat won't actually kill you, you want to fly on an airplane with some assurance that it won't break apart in mid-air because of bad maintenance, you want the medications you take to be better than the snake oil that used to be marketed as medicine, you want people to defend this country, you want to make sure they hard-earned money you use to buy stocks and invest in mutual funds is not going doing a rat hole, and you like the highways you drive on. That takes money. Sure the government doesn't always work well but I would rather have an USDA have a meat inspection program and the FDA have a process for approving medications than not.

I do think that the government doesn't always do a good job of telling how its work directly affects the average American.

Comment Permalink

blue comment bubble Posted by Oussama Salah on January 30, 2009 at 09:19 AM EST

Well Ginger

I will take the unpopular route and support what you say, it is not the responsibility of the IRS how tax money is spent or how much taxes we pay. They do a job, an unpopular job, that needs to be done to preserve the services we get without thinking twice about.

If we as adults can not rationalise this then the problem lies within us and not with the IRS and certainly not with your husband

Thank you for highlighting this to all of us

Regards

Oussama

Comment Permalink

blue comment bubble Posted by Guru on January 30, 2009 at 09:20 AM EST

You forgot one important group Wall St, we just paid them over 500 billion dollars for making bad investments. I wish I could get some money every time I make a bad investment.

Comment Permalink

blue comment bubble Posted by Ginger on January 30, 2009 at 09:24 AM EST

ET thanks for your thoughts. You make a valid point. The government doesn't always do a good job of communicating how its work directly affects the average American. I think that this is changing. More federal websites are adding better communication features and trying to reach out. There is a movement in the government to try to bring America’s voice to the government table in an honest and open dialogue. Is it perfect? Well of course not, but the important thing here is that people in the government are focused on trying to improve it. I personally feel that these are exciting times for federal employees. Most federal employees really want to make a difference and they feel proud when they are able to contribute something of value to our country. Even if I am not directly involved in all of the efforts, I take great pride in what my organization is achieving.

Comment Permalink

blue comment bubble Posted by CATTYG1 on January 30, 2009 at 10:54 AM EST

IT'S A DIRTY JOB, BUT SOMEBODY HAS TO DO IT. LOL
THE ANGER IS MISPLACED.
IT'S THE INSANE GOVERNMENT SPENDING.
IT WOULD BE NO PROBLEM TO PAY FOR THE THINGS YOU LISTED.
THE PROBLEM IS NEEDLESS SPECIAL INTERST PROGRAMS THAT SOME OF OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS WANT TO SUPPORT & SLIP THROUGH WITHOUT OUR KNOWLEDGE. IT SHOULD BE ILLEGAL.

Comment Permalink

blue comment bubble Posted by Tax Guy on January 30, 2009 at 01:06 PM EST

Ginger,
Thank oyu for a rare breath of vindication. Most people don't understand that IRS is ust the Government's versions of Accounts Receivable. We're just like any other company except that what we are selling is not tangible, law and order, peace and stability, and is better jusdged by the millions of things that didn't go worng each day rather than the ones you hear about that did. We work very hard here, to serve our country, our taxpayers, our friends and neighbors.

So, the next time you don't die of food poisoning, sink your boat, crash your plane or get invaded by terrorists, think of me and your kinder and gentler IRS. If only we could get civilization at the supermarket...

Don't forget to check out the Free-file website.. Free electronic filing!
http://www.irs.gov/efile/article/0,,id=118986,00.html?portlet=4


You Rock Ginger!
Thanks again

Comment Permalink

blue comment bubble Posted by Joe on January 30, 2009 at 01:37 PM EST

"Your tax dollars support a democratic government that ensures you have the right to state your opinions and complaints. "

That's the problem right there. As a person who has planned and prepared taxes for very wealthy clients, I know how the IRS plays. You know the rules, play by them, and they leave you alone. Simple.

It's the "democratic government" that's the problem (it's not a democratic government by the way, more on this later). They just tried to spend $7 billion to modernize Federal Buildings. Who do you think is going to pay for this later? $600 million for new cars. $8B for renewable energy research, $6B for mass transit (with low returns), and on and on.

The essential stuff I'm perfectly fine with. The things you pointed out. But you left out the parts that stink. Since you are putting forth the argument we should appreciate the IRS because it supports the good functions, should the opposite be true because they also support the wasteful ones?

*Democratic Government. Despite what's taught in school, the Founding fathers hated the idea of a democratic government and democracy in general. They despised it. Do a google search. They associated it with mob rule. Our constitution doesn't contain one instance of the word democracy. This country was founded as a republic. But it's degenerating into a democracy, which is probably why we're a mess right now! (ok turning off social studies lesson mode)

Comment Permalink

blue comment bubble Posted by Angel on January 30, 2009 at 04:45 PM EST

I don't think your view is so much unpopular, as it is more the view of taken for granted. Pretty much everyone whines about their taxes. Heck, I am not always happy about what gets taken out of my paychecks, but overall, I am glad the taxes pay for things like the police (in spite of their spotty record at times, but another discussion) and schools. Having said that, using the Treasury Department and the SEC as examples of our tax dollars at work definitely not a good idea. If anything, they seem to be in collusion with the profiteers who created a lot of this mess. Maybe the Founding Fathers had it right about despising a democracy. Because in the end, people keep electing the same bozos to government. And before anyone tells me, "but you vote too," I will say, yes I do, but I vote independent and third party. My conscience is pretty clear.

And the thing is, as a librarian, I really appreciate all the good resources the government puts out. It's the people in those agencies, often cold and impersonal, who are the problem. Not the agencies per se. Anyhow thanks for saying what you did. Best, and keep on blogging. This blog is certainly a very good resource for my work.

Comment Permalink

blue comment bubble Posted by J R on January 31, 2009 at 01:53 AM EST

The IRS is unconstitutional and should be abolished. My 2.5 cents.

Comment Permalink

blue comment bubble Posted by Himanshu on February 02, 2009 at 05:26 AM EST

My papa is also retired treasury officer. And I think the "toads" in Washington have toad-size brains. I saw an article that said the IRS estimates that the unreported taxable income for 2005 was more than a trillion dollars. That's a 1 with 12 zeroes! The commissioner said that this estimate is probably on the low side.
http://www.nopycars.com

Comment Permalink

blue comment bubble Posted by PAMELA JONES on February 03, 2009 at 11:52 AM EST

AN WHAT U HAVE ON HERE IS GREAT BUT WHERE IS THE PORK SPENDING?

Comment Permalink

blue comment bubble Posted by Herbert Hooberbloob on February 04, 2009 at 02:40 PM EST

Our tax dollars go for good stuff, stupid stuff and all sorts of stuff we'll probably never know about in the name of national security. How that money is allocated is beyond our control. But wouldn't it be nice, when 1040 time came around, if there was an option where we could have a small say on just what our tax dollars were being spent on? For example, what if there was an option where we could specify that say 5% of the money we pay in taxes could be allocated to a specific agency, program, etc.? So if you like to spend time at our National Parks, you could allocate some money to the National Park Service or Forestry Service. If you're interested in science, you could specify that some of your tax dollars get allocated to NASA or The National Science Foundation.

Comment Permalink

blue comment bubble Posted by PT on February 04, 2009 at 03:29 PM EST

IRS employees are great . Some of the most thick skinned, responsible types I know work at the IRS. This <a href="http://ptmoney.com/2009/02/03/tuesday-tax-tip-recovery-rebate-credit-economic-stimulus-2nd-chance/">Recovery Rebate Credit</a> is juat another way the methods of the IRS get a bad wrap.

Comment Permalink

blue comment bubble Posted by Ginger on February 05, 2009 at 07:13 AM EST

Herbert Hooberbloob, what an interesting idea. I wonder how people would choose to distribute their tax dollars, if they could. Thanks for the comment. BTW, love the name.

Comment Permalink

blue comment bubble Posted by sunshine on February 26, 2009 at 08:06 PM EST

The bottom line: This country is expensive to run. Many other developed nations use their taxes to give FREE health care to their citizens, update their public transit and provide quality services to their people. You would think the US citizens would understand the importance of paying this money and all that it is, could and should be used for.

Why not pay your dues if you can afford to do so? There is no such thing as a free ride.

Comment Permalink