I'm Releasing My Tax Return
I got all of my withholdings back. But why?
If you’re curious as to why, read this first:
I’d been expecting the letter for a while.
It was well past the time Francis usually stuffed the boxes when I backed into my spot. I did my usual scenic route hike out the garage door, up and around the side of the building through the front door and into the mail room.
Box checking had become an autonomous operation. There was a time not so long ago when I avoided it. One time so much that the Final Notice of Delinquent Registration for my scooter was sitting in the pile above the first notice.
But now it was autopilot. Just something to do.
My scan revealed two pieces of mail. I pawed them out.
One of them had that shape.
The other was an ad for something. I processed nothing more about it before it found rest in the blue bin.
I knew what the other one was before even the light hit it.
I stood in the mailroom, reflecting on what I held.
Five years of study, several handfuls of idiotic mistakes, dumb decisions, many thousands in useless counsel, and following enough holographic rabbits down holes leading to garage compactors that would fry a thousand normie minds. It had all finally paid off, culminating in this little, thin, stiff thing of paper in my hand.
The first of many?
The excitement left before I even had time to enjoy it.
A flash.
I thought back to the time my high school acceptance letter came in the mail. I had gotten in to the “top” school in the district. My dad jumped up and down, cheering joyfully.
I played along to an extent, my coping mechanism to avoid (1) explaining why I wasn’t really that excited and (2) the ensuing lecture about why I should be.
Internally, “Meh….”
Then came the thunder; “Cool, more paperwork.”1
It was as if it didn't mean anything. Like it was useless. As if all that time, energy, attention and money would have been better put to work somewhere else. Towards something constructive. Like excelling in a career to generate a bigger tax liability to complain about.
“But this is what people want, right?”
“This is the reform the society needs, right?”
“This is the thing that can fix the government money problem, right?”
I held in my hand the fruit of using a reclaimed key of knowledge2 that had sunk to the bottom of the sea 100 years ago through fake news campaigns, patriotic propaganda, obfuscation of words and phrases, and tremendous population exhaustion operations.
Frankly, it was a miracle knowledge of the key even survived.
The mass re-distribution of this key would force our government to operate as advertised because it would put the power of the purse back into the people's hands, where it properly belongs.
I found it. I used it.
And I now held the proof.
But so what?
I didn't really do any trailblazing here. Had I followed the obvious path at the start, I wouldn’t have even had to dive into the depths. (I spent more time learning wrong information than good information.) But even through all that, all I did was increase the size of the mass of people who had already found and used the key by one.
For this key to be of any use, it would have to be used by tens of millions more.
A measly plus one is hardly worth celebrating. Maybe it's because I was expecting it.
I thought I'd be more excited, like Link opening a big chest.
But nah. Just another day.
Anyway. Here it is. My first ever properly filed and successful return.
Enjoy
-Arjun
PS: I’ve also written a line-by-line, page-by-page breakdown of my return. Let me know if you’d like to see it.
Further reading:
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PPS: Part of the reason, I think, I feel so dull about this supposedly amazing accomplishment is that (1) I’ve been conditioned to severely downplay achievements, and (2) people are so apathetic, negative, and antagonist to solutions to their favorite problems. Throughout my life I’ve looked for, and in many cases found, solutions to problems expressed by those around me, only to be, at best, disregarded, or, at worst, mocked and spat at.
It’s no different with this.
Just the other day I had a conversation (different from pic related) with someone who started complaining about the government “taking so much of my money in taxes.” I shared my 2024 victory. “Congratulations.” I started sharing the fascinating truth about the income tax. “What? That’s definitely not how it works.” Exactly what Jared said.
Do you think if I sent a page-by-page, line-by-line breakdown of my 2024 return, it’ll help either of them?
Nah. I knew it long ago. Even the founders knew. Took me a while to learn the lesson though.
The ability to complain about a thing is often more valuable than solving it.
“Someone, please, do something!”
But, even with all the naysayers, opposers, and illiterates, I know that some of you really do appreciate the information, and a few of you will apply it. If all this does is add another measly plus one to the mass, then it’s worth it.
Thanks
-Arjun
This post included!
Reading comprehension and critical thinking, basically
Thanks for all you are doing!
Thank you Arjun for all the fantastic info. I"m between jobs but once I find my next endeavor, I"m going to look into filing a separate return so that I can be one more filing "properly". :)