Where's My Refund?

There are a handful of US companies that are truly American born and bred. They symbolize what makes America a nice place to live, work and raise families. Each has contributed to America’s uniqueness. They are the personification of our strength, prosperity, perspective and history of innovation.

These corporations have all experienced brutal competitive challenges. Some have staggered and a few awoke to headlines which declared their imminent death. Their grit, guts, dedicated employees and vision have made them icons.

It’s difficult to imagine our country without the Eastman Kodak Company, IBM, Coca Cola, 3M, John Deere, General Electric, Kelloggs, Ford Motor Company, Johnson & Johnson, Anheuser Bush, Procter and Gamble, American Express, Intel, Black and Decker, General Mills, Federal Express, Microsoft, Sears, General Motors, UPS, the Walt Disney Company, Hershey’s, McDonalds, ExxonMobil and Caterpillar.

It would be impossible to find a family that hasn’t benefited from their achievements. Children can identify their products, and most have played with toys emblazoned with their logos. What scratch hasn’t healed faster with a superhero band-aid? What child hasn’t listened to cereal go snap, crackle and pop? Now that’s America!

These corporations have impacted our lives, our routines and our senses. They have improved the quality and enjoyment of life. They have pampered us with convenience and raised our standards and expectations. They have empowered our lives.

The energy, raw material, technology, transportation, communication, pharmaceutical, insurance, medical and financial institutions can fill reams of paper with hallmark names. They are the nation’s backbone. They invested in our future and changed our perception of speed, agility, performance and security.

Now write your memoirs. Set a chapter aside to compare the benefits that private enterprise contributed to your happiness, health and well-being to that of government.

No Kidding! You discovered that there’s not much beyond a high school diploma, national security, a road system, the local police and fire department, the Constitution and a smattering of agencies which protected your rights and health that provided the benefits of the private sector.

Yet the government gobbled up at least forty percent of your lifetime earnings. Be honest with yourself. You haven’t gotten much for your money. It’s a safe bet that you only dealt once with companies that charged outrageous prices and delivered shoddy products and services.

So tell us again why you vote for politicians who want to enlarge the government’s share of your income.

Okay! Okay! It’s understood that masochists enjoy abuse. They enjoy the IRS' catchy motto, Snag, Cripple and Gouge. Setting aside those with this proclivity, tell us again why you are a Democrat. Those that have milked the welfare system their entire lives need not respond. We already know why you love Harry, Nancy and Barack.