Tax Day

This evening I went out to dinner with my wife (who is a tax accountant) to celebrate the end of the tax busy season. While we were there, a friend of mine called for advice about his taxes (I'm also an accountant). We filed our return months ago, so it's somewhat humorous to me how many people are just finishing up. Kind of the post office to stay open late. I just hope none of the postal workers forgot to file their returns, because, man, if they did, they're stuck.

Also, while I was at dinner, I witnessed one of the many "tea parties" to protest legislation coming from the nations capital. I support the cause, but I'm afraid it is somewhat misled. First, as far as I understand, the president doesn't make any legislation. He signs it into law, but he doesn't create it. At least that's how it should be. Second, anyone who thinks the IRS should be eliminated is a fool. Although our government spends way too much money, at least they spend it on us and our well-being. At least we drive on paved roads and we have underground sewage systems. At least we have a military that can defend us. If we eliminate the IRS, I wonder, how will the government collect revenues. If the government doesn't have any revenues, who is going to maintain the roads, the hospitals, the sewers, etc. I agree with all of my soul that the government should spend less, and should spend with more prudence when it must spend, but to eliminate the IRS is totally absurd, even idiotic. Unless there is some alternative means of transferring money from citizen to government that I am missing. The publicans (private tax collectors) of Jesus' time weren't too popular either, so I don't think that would work.

So, that my voice may be heard, I plead with the government: Tax me. Take all that is fair to take from me, and I will do my best to keep all that is fair for me to keep.
And I plead with my fellow citizens, displeased with taxes: Keep the protests coming, but aim well. Foolish protests are counterproductive.

Tribute

This one goes out to all of my followers. All of the people who have made this blog possible. Thank you. I'm thinking about turning the blog over to a more efficient writer. If we meet again...

Obedience

As this semester comes to an end, this assignment comes to an end, and perhaps this Blog comes to an end. I don't really like Blogs, and I realized why yesterday. Some blogs are useful in allowing people to keep up with each others' lives. I appreciate this aspect of blogs, but I still do not utilize them for this purpose. The reason that I don't like blogs was articulated by a friend of mine in the opening post of his blog. By writing, we assert on all of our readers that we have something to say. And not just something to say, but something worth writing. And not just something worth writing, but something worth reading. The amount of valuable content already available on the Internet is astounding. Sometimes mind-boggling. The amount of worthless content online is sickening. So, why should what I write be worthwhile to anyone? I don't even proof-read. I don't think any blogger does, though.

Why have I posted every week, aside from it being a requirement of my religion class? I hope that I have done it in obedience, in a sense. An servant of God asked that faithful followers of Christ be prepared to give a reason for their faith. In more recent times, another servant of God suggested that the Internet was a useful way to do that. I don't know if these words will benefit anyone other than myself, but I'm glad I've done it, because I have been asked to do it. I am almost certain that I will not post as frequently in the future. At least not about religious matters. But I will try to be active in the global online community, in the discussion of religion. Signing off, Steven Foote

Hope

As I finished reading the Book of Mormon this time around, something struck me more than usual. I like to read books as though I were the author, and try to figure out why they wrote certain things in certain ways, and what they meant by certain things they wrote. As I read the end of Moroni, I found the 7th chapter to be especially interesting, considering the position that Moroni was in when he wrote it. After all of his family and friends had died, as he wondered alone in the wilderness fearing death at the hands of the Lamanites, he wrote a chapter about hope and charity. The words are not his, but are a direct quote from his father. I think it no coincidence that Moroni includes, multiple times, the kind words of his father directly to him; I think doing so was a source of comfort to him, and I think he wanted to show the world what a good father looks like.

The words of Mormon, written by Moroni in Chapter 7 of the Book of Moroni are especially poignant when viewed from the eyes of the lone Moroni. I assume these words were very special to Moroni; that he treasured them. I assume he read them often in his difficult situation. I am grateful he felt to share them with the rest of us, that we may have them as a source of comfort as well.

To have hope is such a gift. We need not be abounding in wealth to have hope. Nor do we need to be in the depths of poverty to benefit from it. I do not believe a human can live without hope of some sort. The hope Mormon refers to is the hope of Christ. Hope in a better life. With this hope, nothing is ultimately sad, because life is just part of the process to get us a better life. Death and sickness and suffering, while not to be underplayed, are not as hard to endure when we have hope in Christ, and hope for a better life. I have this hope. I know He lives.