I'm printing out your post to remind you how awestruck you were the next time you get
on my case for something. In the meantime, in honor of the repoliticalization (Is that a word?) of and the return of meaningful dialogue and profound social commentary to theFeelings thread, I offer this true story.
CW MEETS UNCLE SAM
I'm in the kitchen staring into the pantry, wondering what nourishing and edible meal I can possibly create from a can of black olives, a jar of applesauce and a stale box of Wheaties, when the front door slams with a definite attitude. CW's voice enters before he does, "Mo-m-m-m-m!!" He's upset, he's furious, he's incensed. I debate the viability of hiding in the pantry, but I'm too late.
"Look at this!" he demands, shoving a piece of paper in my face. It's his first paycheck.
"Honey, that's wonderful!" I gush--and it is-finally the man-child is working, and willingly-although for someone else. There is hope that he someday will pay for his own food and giant Nikes.
"No, it's not!" he snaps. Obviously I have said the wrong thing. "Look at it! I made 320.00 and I only got 260."
Ahhh-light dawns. He didn't KNOW about Uncle Sam! Or hadn't realized that Uncle Sam is not really a kindly blood relative who was going to pay him under the table, as it were, just because he's such a good kid.
"I can't believe they take that much from me! I'm a kid! I'm saving for college! I need that money and it's MY money!"
I nod, sympathetically, wondering what words of comfort I can offer. That he got off easy paying only 20% and it could be a lot worse? But he's on a roll now.
"It's time for the American people to revolt! What if we refuse to pay taxes?"
"We'll get arrested, I think." Government is not my forte.
"Not if we ALL do it! We have to take a stand!" Pause--I see him mulling over another idea. "I need to be President."
"OoooKayyy, but he doesn't get much done, either."
"Well, we need to get rid of COngress too. Then I can get stuff done. I need full power."
"I think that's called a dictatorship, Honey. It's not a popular form of government here."
He brushes this aside. "It's just temporary. After I fix things, we can put Congress back."
(Didn't Caesar say something similar to this?) "Well, what would you do?" I am curious; he does have a creative and fertile mind-maybe he has some good ideas to save me some money.
"Well, first I get rid of all Welfare and Social Security."
Yep--he's my son. "OK-What do the people live on who relied on those programs?"
"They can work, like the rest of us." he says nastily. My, how quickly he has become one of the resentful working class proletariat. "The old people already on Social Security can keep getting it, but no new ones."
"Gee, that could be hard on the ones who relied on it for their retirement in the near future." I point out, reasonably, I think.
"MO-MMMM!" Uh-oh. "Someone has got to give stuff up in order to fix this! Somebody's got to hurt!"
Ahhh---just not CW. I get it.
Unfortunately, right now, Baby, it's you. Welcome to the real world, Son. |
