It is one of two things that are guaranteed in life.

It is the haunting specter of responsibility, the ball and chain around your leg, and the shirt off your back.

It is the fixed amount of money everyone must pay back to the government.

Companies and people alike are subject to the rule.

Taxes are the buildings that tower above you, the roads below your feet, and the wheels of bureaucracy.

It is the uniforms of the police and the snow piled high in parking lots.

It is your social security, Medicare, and Medicaid.

It is the rumble of military hardware.

It is food for the hungry and shelter for the needy.

It is tax, and it is the first of two inevitable realities.

…

Oh, the second one is death.