Financial Mess

It's a complicated world we live in. Just this week, Leanne, Josh, Lindsey, and I had a long conversation about taxes, coming to the conclusion that we basically know squat about the system. We're all smart people, and I find that to be unacceptable.

I object to systems that are designed to shut out normal people. Systems created solely to create and promote "experts" are inherently corrupt, because everyone involved has a reason to deceive and obfuscate. I'm not saying all accountants are corrupt liars trying to steal your money; it is, however, in their self-interest to have a complicated and opaque system of regulations and requirements in place, because (on a large scale) that is what gives them a job. So they are probably not going to be the one leading the charge for a simplified set of tax laws.

Besides, some of them really are corrupt liars trying to steal your money.

I should be able to do my own taxes, and understand what I can and cannot deduct, without going crazy. I should be able to quickly find out which forms and taxes I need to pay. I want to use an accountant, and plan on it this tax season, but I should be able to grasp and understand what she's doing and why.

We need accountants, just as we need lawyers. Taxation, law, and regulation are always going to be more than your average taxpayer can just "know" on his own. Experts are good. But the tax system shouldn't be as difficult to understand as it is. Imagine a world where people did (or at least could do) the majority of their own taxes, and accountants just cleaned them up, added a few write-offs here, took off a few there. Wouldn't everyone like that better?

On a related note, we've all been hearing about the subprime mortgage loan mess. And I get the basics of it. But I wanted more information, and found it. So, for those of you looking for a detailed explanation, I recommend the following link, where some visionary has taken the facts and distilled them into a universally easy-to-understand format: a forty-five panel comic strip.