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By Suzanne Mazer Stewart
Now, we're generally law-abiding citizens out here in Frogpond. We fly a
flag out on the porch, and we vote rather diligently. OK, so I do
occasionally forget to return my library books on time. And there's that
little problem with the parking meters that my husband seems to have. But
otherwise, we try our best to be fine, upstanding folk. However, a recent
case of disgraceful behavior is more the fault of the postal service than
anything else.
See, our post office did away with their rural-route-and-box-number addresses
at the beginning of last year. They've long stopped delivering any mail not
properly addressed with the "new" addresses. (Try explaining how your address
has changed, but you haven't actually moved. On second thought, it ain't
exactly a pleasant way to spend a half hour.) Well, we sent out change of
address cards to everybody we could think of. We filled out all the little
boxes on so many little forms, informing utilities and insurance companies,
even the public library, of our new, not necessarily improved, address. Seems
we forgot to inform the county tax office.
When the time comes for paying taxes, the Sheriff's Department, duly assigned
to oversee the collection of the county's portion, provides each property
owner with a bill. This bill states how much is owed, how and where and when
it should be paid, and what property is being taxed. It arrives, as you know,
by MAIL. Well, when the post office won't deliver it if it hasn't got the
proper form of address, even though they know who we are and where we live,
and if we never get it because of the lack of delivery, we can't very well
pay it, can we? And to top it all off, we had paid some of our taxes for 2
years when we had rendered unto Caesar the year before. Add it all up, and,
well, you can understand our situation a little better.
Seems last Tuesday, the Sheriff listed all his delinquent tax payers in the
newspaper. Page after page of names. Page after page of the ne'er-do-wells
and the law scoffers. Page after page of those who thumb their noses at the
established order. Death and taxes, remember, are the only inevitability's.
Unless, of course, you don't pay. Then, there's one other. You get your name
printed in the newspaper, for God and everybody to see. Not exactly the kind
of publicity I would have liked, but hey, at least I got published in the
paper!
You may contact Suzanne at
MSZFROGGIE@aol.com
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