the great leslie

Yesterday, as is known, was the due date for taxes to be filed. I filed in January and have already spent the refund. But, since I pay hundreds of dollars to the federal government every month, I think I should have some say in where my money goes. Perhaps a checklist could be included with the 1040 forms, where you could check off the items you want your tax dollars, hard-earned as they are, to go.

I'd like to see more of my taxes go to the state and city, actually, to stuff I actually use (or might someday use): trash pick-up, street sweeping, museums, education. Not that I don't already pay a lot in city and state taxes, as this piece from the "paper of record," the New York Sun, indicates.

But, given that my dollars do go the federal government, I'd like a little more say. For instance, this missile defense plan. I say SKIP IT. It's not going to work. And don't quit giving NPR money: they need it! Also: the National Endowment for the Arts. No matter how controversial the product, I think we need to encourage art.

When I set out to write this, I was going to say: I don't want my money going toward the war in Iraq, which I never thought was a good idea. But then, when I was searching for the Sun editorial on city and state taxes, I saw another editorial on taxes. It true that my tax money goes to pay the salaries of the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, not just for the guns I wish they didn't use. They, of course, deserve a salary, perhaps a bigger one than they get. So, as the editorial states, this softens the blow.

But, still, I wonder if the federal government could learn something from the American public if we were asked how we think our money should be spent. I'm not sure voting is really getting the point across, and some people don't seem to care anyway.

I realize, of course, that this idea is utterly unfeasible. But, this is my blog, and I can dream up impossible ideas if I want to!