Patterns of Behavior

I grew up with very few rules: Don't lie, don't steal, ask permission, and speak kindly. Pretty simple rules, and if you think about it for even a few seconds, you can discern the wisdom in them ... they pretty much cover any trouble a young boy might himself facing. For a time, I thought that these rules were being universally applied to everyone ... everywhere. But even as a young boy, I began to realize that there were some people in this world who were not required to live by the same rules I had to follow. When I was in first grade, an older student stole a pocket knife from me, and of course he suffered no consequences for his bad behavior. He was bigger, smarter, and a lot more street-wise than me. He simply conned me into letting him see it and then just kept it. Like it or not ... he was able to break one of the rules that I was taught not to violate ... and get away with it.
Now I'm older, and I'm finding that I'm still attempting to live by the same rules that dominated my childhood. And I'm still finding that some people ... bigger, smarter and more street-wise are still stealing from me. I'm not talking about big business. I'm talking about D.C. and in some cases the State Government of Arizona. I've listed below just a few of the taxes imposed on upon Americans at the State and Federal level.
Accounts Receivable Tax
Building Permit Tax
Capital Gains Tax
CDL license Tax
Cigarette Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Court Fines (indirect taxes)
Dog License Tax
Federal Income Tax
Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
Fishing License Tax
Food License Tax
Fuel permit tax
Gasoline Tax (42 cents per gallon)
Hunting License Tax
Inheritance Tax Interest expense (tax on the money)
Inventory tax IRS Interest Charges (tax on top of tax)
IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)
Liquor Tax
Local Income Tax
Luxury Taxes
Marriage License Tax
Medicare Tax
Property Tax
Real Estate Tax
Septic Permit Tax
Service Charge Taxes
Social Security Tax
Road Usage Taxes (Truckers)
Sales Taxes
Recreational Vehicle Tax
Road Toll Booth Taxes
School Tax
State Income Tax
State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)
Telephone federal excise tax
Telephone federal universal service fee tax
Telephone federal, state and
local surcharge taxes
Telephone minimum usage surcharge tax
Telephone recurring and non-recurring charges tax
Telephone state and local tax
Telephone usage charge tax
Toll Bridge Taxes
Toll Tunnel Taxes
Traffic Fines (indirect taxation)
Trailer Registration Tax
Utility Taxes
Vehicle License Registration Tax
Vehicle Sales Tax
Watercraft Registration Tax
Well Permit Tax
Workers Compensation Tax

This list is a general accounting of the taxes imposed upon us. There are several sub categories associated with many of these taxes. Sale tax, for instance, might include taxes on some specific items, such as alcohol and or tobacco. Utility taxes have several sub categories.

I think we're not a lot different than that first grade boy who was coerced into showing his pocket knife to the bigger, smarter, more street-wise boy. He's still waiting for some justice.