We hope everyone out there realizes today is April 15: the last day to file your taxes unless you’ve gotten an extension.
Things that are good for people often hurt: the doctor, the dentist, school and taxes.
We hope students can see beyond the check made out to the government to what those taxes are supposed to pay for, such as financial aid for students at UH.
The Daily Cougar would like to share its opinion of other areas where it would like to see those tax dollars go.
The staff would like to see more social programs, such as an increased availability of micro loans, which are small loans used to get people through tough times. If people were able to apply for a micro loan through the federal government instead of a private lender, fewer people would be forced into welfare because they can’t pay the electricity bill. Small loans like these could end up stimulating the economy, and people would end up paying the loans back to the government.
A better health care system would be nice – one where people who cannot currently afford to could visit the dentist and get those wisdom teeth removed, braces subsidized and cavities filled, or one that would cover birth control and well-woman exams, or even incentives for health maintenance and fitness. A country with a healthier population would have more people able to work and fewer people declaring bankruptcy because they can’t afford their medical bills for diseasees which are preventable or curable with early detection and continued maintenance.
Although Houston’s economy doesn’t seem to be suffering as much as the rest of the country’s right now, an investment in scientific development may end up finding an alternative to the ever-rising cost of oil. This would ensure more money in the pockets of Americans across the country, not to mention it would provide research and development dollars to UH and similar institutions.
As much as it hurts college students to give what little money they have to some all-knowing, all-seeing governmental body, The Daily Cougar hopes students also see the benefits of paying those taxes – you did pay them, right?
