So, got money scraped together from all sources — including selling organs and grandma's silver (just kidding!) — to make a tax payment by the October 8th due date.
Ironically, a message had just been posted on the IRS website about unavailable services due to the government shutdown... but, of course, the ability to collect taxes has not been curtailed.
Ironically(2), in another six days (October 15th), we go straight back into "owing" status, as the next cycle of bullshit begins... because it represents income tax filing day for those who requested an automatic extension.
Ironically(3), you still end up with a $1,500+ tax bill even when your income falls below the federal poverty line because there's still "self-employment tax" to be paid. If you make even $600 a year, you owe tax!
Interestingly enough, I am "functionally unemployed," at least as counted by the Ludwig Institute which currently estimates that almost one quarter of the US population is unemployed, vs. the official headline rate of 3.4%.
Meanwhile, eggs continue to be $8.29 for a carton of 18 and we just got our property tax assessment for 2026, which shows that taxable values once again rose about 20% from the year before... which doesn't just affect property taxes, but also homeowners insurance which is based on property value.
Sometimes, it is pretty challenging to pinpoint anything that is going right in the world!
Mrs. Denmarkguy was talking to a group of counseling colleagues and the subject of professional insurance came up... and it would appear that one of the results of the $900 billion cut to medical subsidies by the US government means that their insurance is going to rise by 77% in 2026!
Thankfully, Mrs. D. is exempt because she dispenses her counseling as clergy rather than under a medical banner.
It does feel like no matter where you turn, people are increasingly getting screwed, in one way or another.
Unless something radically changes in the way we approach things, I doubt we're more than a couple of generations away from some form of "Hunger Games Reality" with a tiny uber-class and everyone else in hardscrabble poverty.
As I have mentioned before, I'm not so worried for myself as for our grandkids' generation. Sorry if this is all a bit of a bummer post... just not in a very positive headspace at the moment.
Thanks for stopping by, and have a great remaidner of your week!
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Created at 2025.10.10 01:33 PST
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It's not a bummer. It's real. Insurance--combined property and car--is getting to be one of our big bills every month. I don't even know how much we pay for health insurance.
We're holding our own, but the kids...as you say, how will things will hold up for them?
Around here, we're "hanging on," but at the rates of increase we keep seeing it feels like there will come a breaking point in the not too distant future. I think we'll for sure see a lot more multi-generational households; adult kids living with their parents will stop being an insult and instead become a necessity.