It's Taxing

We all grumble about paying taxes but of late, it's the resource that is most used. What happens to the economy after this virus has gone, is not something to think about, nor should we at this time. We elected people to worry about that and they will have their work cut out trying to figure ways of filling up the empty pockets that paid for what everyone wants. It surprises me to hear people complaining that they aren't getting enough government money. It's a little like the family dinner table when there is whining about things everyone wants and there not being money in the budget for it. Now, there are truly desperate folks out there who really do not have sufficient money. I knew someone a few years back, who through no fault of her own, was out of work and out of a place to live. When she came over and said she had no money, she meant NO money. She managed to find a room in an actual barn where the farmer said she could stay if she didn't mind the mice. And mice there were. But it was a roof over her head. She depended on food banks and the generosity of her friends and relatives. Her "bank" was indeed a bank, a piggy bank, the one in which she had tossed her change in the days when she had a job that paid enough. The story ended well, though it was a long journey to her happy ending. There was little dignity about her trip because when work was found, it was not in a field of her desire or experience. But it was a job, and a steady income however small. Those at her work place were fine people who saw that she received all the help she needed and encouragement while working there. Being a sunny type, she saw it as a learning experience. She said that dishwashing allowed her lots of time to think. Eventually, this lady emerged from the experience and through diligence, found  new work. She had to learn on the job. She attacked the new lifestyle with great ambitions to make it work no matter what. Today she is fine, but then, it was a cold thing to hear her  say "I have NO money". Every dollar dealt out by our government is our tax money straight from what we have been paying into all of our working lives and loathing to pay. It doesn't come from some magical money tree that grows in the back of the parliament buildings. To moan and groan about it not being enough is, I feel, unfair. Just like family finances, there is only so much to go around and that is all there is. It is disgusting that some very sad people who don't deserve, nor need it, and are grubbing around selfishly grabbing funding from needy others. Not a Canadian thing to do. We try to take care of each other in this country. Or should if we want to hold our heads up.  Having to be at home in isolation has given everyone lots to think about: the value of family, of food for everyday living, about what is essential and what isn't, about the joy of friendship and communication, of  the need for education and how much more is given than book learning, of the meaning of social gatherings and their importance, of our neighbours and how alike we all are no matter our skin shade, our shape or ways of thought. A virus as lethal as this one can be beaten. And we are doing it.