Taxes

I'm beginning to think paying taxes is only for the little people. The little tiny people who have hardly any sheckels to begin with. There is something seriously wrong here:

"EXXON MOBIL: The oil giant that was the world’s most profitable corporation in 2008 has spent $5.7 million in campaign contributions over the last ten years and $138 million in lobbying expenditures. Its federal corporate income tax liabilities for 2009? Absolutely nothing. Not only did it pay nothing, but it also received a tax rebate the same year of $156 million.

CHEVRON: Chevron spent $4.4 million in campaign contributions and $91 million in lobbying expenditures over the last decade. It received a tax refund of $19 million in 2009 while making $10 billion in profits and $324 million in government contracts in 2008.

CONOCOPHILLIPS: The Texas-based gasoline giant spent $2.5 million in campaign contributions and $63 million in lobbying expenditures over the last decade. It received “$451 million through the oil and gas manufacturing deduction,” a special tax break, between 2007 and 2009, despite $16 billion in profits over the same period of time."

The list is much longer, and scarier. Of course it includes all the major banks, Boeing, GE, FedEx etc.

I'm waiting for my puny little refund over here. Which is a relief that I even got one, but that I desperately need right about this time of year. All the taxes and show fees for the year are due in the spring, even if they don't happen until November. Yet there hasn't been but one real show so far in 2011, and spring shows are notoriously small sales anyway. It's a hat trick game of cash when you do this kind of work. The big fall/winter show funds only last so long . . .