Indexed income
The first reading of the article left me with a “so what” reaction. The government will tax me if I use drugs. Beats going to jail, etc. The second reading revealed something different: the government will tax me (my earnings) if I test drugs. As in, pharmaceutical testing. There goes any dream of a new career as a guinea pig. And it also shows that the government might be in dire financial straits.
As someone who has joined the “fixed income” generation (whereas before I received a fixed income only if I went to work), I pay attention to nuance. The mailed statement, letting me know that my new found wealth will be indexed next year sounded good, until I calculated that I can now eat steak one more time next year. They spent 10% of the increase, just to let me know. Big spenders!
There are other, more important things to worry about. My box packing caught the attention of someone around here, and my telephone directory from Ireland (c. 1991) did not make the team. Gone to recycled paradise. I’d only just begun to memorize the crucial bits of information. For example: what I’ve always known as the Yellow Pages are called the Golden Pages over there. How many more bits of knowledge did I miss by my willingness to unpack and pitch?
The contractor got back to me, after I jogged his short term memory with an email. Our basement edits are accepted, and the floor can now be poured. We’re making slow but steady progress. I also found out where I can get my green and black dumpsters; the Island doesn’t do blue in the same manner as around here.
