So I never managed to get another proper entry written last night. Between cable outages and my general laziness, Threshold has been rather neglected of late.
For some reason I keep feeling as though I just don’t have enough time, even though there really isn’t anything that’s actually occupying my time.
Okay, sure, Monday and Tuesday were both relatively hectic for me, but yesterday I basically just hung out all day. Apart from getting the mail, I never ventured out into the world.
Mostly I just burned a bunch of files onto CDs, to the extent that I now need to buy some more CDs, which is just another thing to add to the list of things I need to do.
And that’s part of the problem, I think; the fact that there is a list of things I need to do.
Even though it’s almost entirely a matter of perception, the fact that there are multiple things that I need to accomplish makes me feel as if there just isn’t enough time to accomplish them in.
We’re really not talking about a lot of stuff here, either, and honestly, I have plenty of time in which to get some of the more time-sensitive things accomplished, but again, the fact that there are things that I need to accomplish that are time-sensitive adds to the overall perception of not having enough time.
After all, apart from the things that I need to accomplish there are a lot of things that I want to accomplish.
For example, there are at least half a dozen topics that I’ve been meaning to write up Threshold entries on, considerably more pictures that I want to draw, and, possibly, some stories that I would like to write.
And of course we can’t forget how much time I require for the purposes of sitting around and not doing a goddamn thing.
Among the many things I need to accomplish is renewing my car’s registration.
This requires that I have a state emission test performed on my car, which is to say that there is yet another of Virginia’s hidden taxes that I need to pay.
Of course, it’s not hidden very well, but even so, it’s a less obvious way of simply extracting money from my pocket than the state income tax, or the sales tax, or the personal property tax I have to pay on my car, or the food tax.
Along with the aforementioned personal property tax on my car I have to pay another hidden tax in the form of the decal that I have to buy in order to prove that I paid my personal property tax.
Then, of course, there is the annual state vehicle inspection that I have to pay for (Which requires purchasing another decal; Virginia is awfully fond of its decals.), which does not, for inconvenience’s sake, cover emission inspection. Considering that I have to pay seventy cents for the privilege of driving to and from work on the damn toll road, owning a vehicle, even a cheap piece of shit like mine, in Virginia is a costly proposition.
In any case, given how much money I shell out to the state every year I really think it should be providing much more in the way of services to me as citizen.
My suggestion for a new service is weekly visits from door-to-door prostitutes.
Unfortunately, the fact of the matter is that the revenue brought in by most of these initiatives is undoubtedly used largely to pay for the cost of administering these initiatives. You know guys, if you didn’t make people pay these taxes and fees, you wouldn’t have to shell out the money to pay for collecting these taxes and fees.
Still, I’m sure they must have a considerable amount of money left over after they print out the decals (Certainly enough to at least pay for average-looking prostitutes anyway; I mean, I’m not necessarily demanding supermodels here.), otherwise I don’t imagine they would continue the programs. I can’t imagine that the state of Virginia actually cares, for example, whether or not my car is emitting too much in the way of pollutants that will render the world uninhabitable for future generations.
Virginians are Americans after all, and most Americans only “care” about things if there’s some way they can benefit from caring. And I said “most,” so don’t start bitching about how you legitimately care about things for purely altruistic reasons. And honestly, there is something to be said for the concept of enlightened self-interest. It is, after all, the primary motivating force for positive change and reform.
I read an article recently about how the fact that the UK has pledged to buy an HIV vaccine if and when one is developed is going to help to drive vaccine research in a way that simple altruism never could.
In any case, my point is that I don’t believe that the real purpose behind some of the safety and environmental protection fees I’m paying is an altruistic desire to protect me or my environment.
In fact, I would guess that a fair amount of the money I’m shelling out actually is paying for prostitutes; it’s just that I’m not personally receiving the benefit of their services…
Speaking of people paying for things that they’re not benefiting from, the President is being inaugurated today. The residents of Washington D.C., who overwhelmingly voted against President Bush, are footing the costs of security for the inauguration and its associated events.
The demands on my time continue. My mom just called, taking up about an hour, and I need to head out to see Elektra, which I’ve finally made time to see, and my load of laundry is ready to go into the dryer, so I guess that’s it for now.
Once again, I hope that in the future I’ll be able to devote a little more time to Threshold. Until then, I hope all of you have a good weekend.
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