madder than hell

i try to stay away from politics in this blog. i really don't like to get political. but - i am really honking mad. mad enough to rip off some emails to a bunch o' folk that were elected by someone to watch out for me. and here is that email: I picked up my tax return on Saturday, and much to my extreme panic, I somehow owe $1700.00 in federal taxes. My preparer explained that legislation was passed so that anyone making under $30K got a "break." Fewer taxes would be taken out, so they could enjoy the extra money and stimulate the economy. Someone forgot to tell the IRS, because according to them, I have now paid too little taxes, and they want it back. In 1 month. How could a loophole like this have gotten through the watchful eyes of some committee? While I appreciate the thought, the amount of "extra" money was so negligible that it went unnoticed - until the big payback of tax time. I am overwhelmed with this. My husband & I have 2 kids (my stepchildren) in college. We both work full time (I actually work 2 jobs - being an artist in my spare time) and my husband works for a scientific products company, in sales. We come up short at the end of the month as it is. We pay for college with a home equity loan which creates an interesting "rob Peter to pay Paul" game when bills come due. I suffer from fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue, and am technically eligible for SSDI, but cannot afford to leave my job. We are not spendthrifts...I am driving a 2003 vehicle, and he has a company car. Our house is in the same state as when we bought it - with appliances and such from the original 1970's build. We cannot afford to replace them, and pray they don't break down. Is there this much chaos in Washington that they don't stop to look at the big picture before they make a move? I thank you for reading this email. If anyone cares to listen, you may share my thoughts with them. Would it help if they came to live with some of the people they are actually representing, and make do on their budget? now i am not naive...i know some intern somewhere, all of 19 years old, with no mortgage or car payment still living in the gentle cocoon of college and aspiration and wonderment of the governmental and wide world process - will be the one to read and respond to my email, while snickering about the crazy lady. i know this because i was once an intern for a state senator. and although i took letters i read very seriously, and felt true compassion, it was still a young intern reading and responding to the emails and letters. and that was where i became less naive, and more disillusioned, and more certain that it was up to me to watch out for myself. so i guess this is about enough politics for this blog. i am just about as pissed off as a struggling middle class person who drags their fanny out of bed at 5am to go to work can possibly be. L.