On Friday night I was like a kid half-heartedly doing his homework while watching the weather and awaiting the snowstorm. I kept thinking the storm would close school (government shutdown), and I could stop this blasted homework (my income taxes).
Then at the 11th hour (literally: it was a little before 11 p.m.), the House speaker emerged--worn, weary, but determined--and told us all that our elected officials had agreed on a deal and avoided a government shutdown. Hearing the news, I changed my plans for Saturday and shuffled off to bed, dreaming of incomprehensible forms that I’m convinced were developed by megalomaniac accountants who wanted to make their jobs more interesting and grandiose. For them, addition and subtraction just weren’t enough. They needed amortization, depreciation, basis points, and line-by-line instructions leading taxpayers in vicious circles of confusion that turn what should be a logical exercise rooted in deductive and inductive reasoning into pure hell.
After finally filing, I had a thought: At some level, I actually was hoping the government would shut down--resulting in worldwide uncertainty and thousands without paychecks--just so I wouldn’t have to face my dreaded 1040. What’s wrong with this picture?
