And then......

So, I thought I was done posting about taxes……. but then Troubadour and I received our very small, nominal State of Oregon Department of Revenue tax refund check in the mail. While we are glad that we did not have to pay this year, like we did last year, it wasn’t the actual amount that got me riled up.

This is an excerpt from the refund check stub:

“ More than 50 percent of your taxes invest in our children’s education, from pre-kindergarten to our colleges and universities. 25 percent provides health care for our seniors and assistance for Oregon’s most vulnerable. 13 percent keeps us safe by maintaining state trooper patrols and holding criminals accountable. Remaining funds build roads, invest in Oregon agriculture and forests, and protect the environment.”

So, as a follow up to my last post, I could go off on a rant about the percentage of my tax dollars being spent on education, but I won’t. Although I have heard reference that Oregon is the only state that spends more money on it’s criminal justice and penal systems than on education, thus I am not sure how the state came up with their percentages.

What I find interesting is that this amounts to only 12 percent of my (and your if you live in Oregon) tax dollars contributing to roads, agriculture, forests and environment. I wonder how that 12 percent is divided.

At least we know why our roads are in such poor shape. It does not seem to matter where we drive and whether on 2 wheels or 4, the roads are in very poor condition, potholes, subpar patch jobs, etc. 

I wonder how much of that 12 percent goes to forests and the environment. I enjoy the forests and environment. I would much rather my tax dollars be spend on these things than others. 

My guess is there is no way we’ll ever change the way the state divides the tax revenue, but to not complain would simply be un-American.

-Au Revoir

"Did you ever notice that when you put the words "The" and "IRS" together, it spells "THEIRS?"- Author Unknown