Federally Offended

January 5, 2012

The sun is shining and despite a slight winter chill in the air it’s rather pleasant outdoors. Stepping inside the bank on a quiet Wednesday afternoon, man-made warmth enshrouds but the full length duster remains on. 2:36 p.m. and the lull that settles into this establishment between the lunch hour and then afternoon rush is well underway. The lobby is empty save a lone security guard. A curt nod is sent in his direction.

A smiling brunette responds politely and positively to my inquiry about this being a federally owned government banking institution. Her smile fades when the sawed off 12 gauge pump slides from beneath the duster’s inner folds. She is then literally blown away by the concussion blast. Now it’s time for the guard to do a non-to-graceful back flip; aided by the pumps second deafening blast. The window guy makes a dive for the alarm. The gun’s third report turns his dive into a twisting flop. And then there was one.

The remaining teller, a young nervous blonde, picks up the folded scrap of notebook paper as it’s slid across the counter. Her look of pure bewilderment as to why her coworkers are neither dead nor bleeding is amusing. Later the police can tell her how riot control sandbags were used, as opposed to live ammunition. We’re not here to kill anyone, just get the money. Not all of it mind you, just a specific amount which belongs to us anyway. An amount we’ve been waiting for and counting on for a very long time.

A time which is now, in the present; the 30 second “bank job” daydream fading away. As my focus returns to the paltry check lying before me. It’s not mine but my daughter’s and my heart aches at the look of sincere hurt and disappointment on her face. She’d been waiting on this day for fourteen years.

Fourteen years ago a bus’s brakes failed and it rear ended a small car carrying my folks and then toddler daughter. The bus company made restitution; paying damages and medical bills. In addition a tidy sum was put away for the child. To be held by a federal government institution till her eighteenth birthday. Plans for college, a newer car or perhaps a down payment on a home were excitedly discussed over the years.

Each year we had received taxable “interest” statements on the funds. By calculating the current interest rates it would seem the initial amount had tripled. However, the check lying before us was one third less the original amount. How’s that work? I can take a twenty dollar bill, put it in a jar, and stick it in the back of my closet. Ten years later I can take it back out, there may not be more in it but it’s certainly not less. If our government doesn’t understand the basic concept of a jar and keeping their hands out of it, can they really be qualified to run the country? Oh did I mention my kid will have to pay taxes on what the government didn’t take? If there was any need of assurance of our government’s corrupt greed, the next day I set out to pay my property and vehicular taxes. The notice for my truck hadn’t come in yet and during the search they made an interesting discovery. Unpaid taxes from 2004 on a vehicle which had been sold by me that year. No notices had been sent of this unpaid debt for the last seven years. But they had diligently kept up with it and made sure the proper interest was tacked on; interest which now amounted to more than the original fee.

Interesting how when the government owes you money they charge fees to make it less and when you owe them money they charge fees to make it more. If this is the “land of the free” would someone kindly point out where the free part is? You’re born, you live, you die and the government charges you for it every step of the way.

The United States sucks and is in desperate need of being overthrown and re-administered. Not by some foreign power, hell we’re being sold out to China by our own people now. Maybe it’s time “we the people” put our foot down and then put it right up the governments a**!

I welcome almost all questions and comments via through Focus, or e-mail me at chainsawo53@aol.com. Hope to hear from ya, until then try and stay focused. See ya.