To Whom It May Concern,
I am frustrated, and I’m angry. Some might say it doesn’t take a lot these days to feel this way, but if you’re not just as irked as I am, you should be. The recent revelations about how our tax dollars have been squandered are not only troublesome but infuriating to the point that “We’re not gonna take it” is no longer a soundtrack but an anthem.
I have worked hard my entire life. I started working at 12 year’s old and it feels like I’ve never really stopped. My generation put in the effort because we wanted to and, let’s be honest, we had to. Our parents did, and we aspired to give our kids the same—if not better. We went to college, we got jobs, bought houses, wrangled mortgages, juggled credit cards, had children, and educated them in the “best” schools. We gave charity, donating in dollars and sweat equity probably more than we needed to. We climbed that proverbial corporate ladder, all so we could take vacations and upgrade to bigger houses. and we paid taxes. Oh, did we pay taxes.
We paid our Social Security taxes.
We paid our Medicare taxes.
We paid our real estate taxes.
We paid our income taxes.
We paid taxes on top of taxes.
Most of the time, I simply rolled with it. I accepted this as the annual membership fee of a card carrying contributor to this club called Society.
And despite what feels like almost quarterly protests when my husband announces, “It’s tax time,” Ive met with our accountant and begrudgingly cut a check year after year, all the while wondering why I’m being punished for working hard enough to keep up with the Joneses, knowing full well we’d never be the Rockefellers.
Growing up, discussions about politics in my home were infrequent —unless, of course, they revolved around Israel. We were always aware of current events, but that wasn’t the focal point of dinner table conversations. Likely because by the time we sat down to eat my parents were too exhausted from working so hard building their careers and their family’s future, or because our generation grew up with the notion that you don’t discuss money or politics (out loud).
Now, I’ll admit, I wasn’t always this invested in politics and government. I’m not even sure I could name all the presidents and what years they served, let alone the policies they put forth.
So maybe it’s my age, or perhaps it’s the maturity that comes with placing my mental attention on issues that matter most to me now, that has me more keenly aware. Or maybe, just maybe, it’s the insatiable beast of social media and 24/7 news access that has made willful ignorance a relic of the past.
But I can’t go back now. Truth be told, I don’t want to. Because this newfound knowledge—good, bad, Mis and dis informed, and everything in between—has forced me to grasp, even in the tiniest way, how the system was designed and what role we all play in it.
It feels like I’m living in a warped Ayn Rand novel come to life. I’m that cog in the machine, and this is the part where the cogs wake up and realize they no longer want to clock in to their designated spots on the assembly line of a job that requires them to pay the boss to keep their positions.
But we can only play the battered wife for so long before we stop lacing up the boxing gloves of the fiscally fraudulent and morally bankrupt “freedom” fighters that steal our wallets and punch us in our 401k guts under the guise of altruism and still expect us to say “thank you ma’am, may I have another”.
We’ve done our part, paid more than our fair share. We’ve helped build and fund the machinations of mad men, the greed of government gods, and the destruction of divinity.
So, to the former foremen of industrial identity, with the revelations of the past two-week as notice, consider this is my letter of resignation.
And though I can’t change the past, I have hope for the future. I, like so many others, no longer wish to be a disgruntled employee of the United States of Scamerica.
This rapid, frenetic, uncomfortable thing we call 'transparency' has pulled back the curtains, allowing a behind the scenes view of ego and arrogance, to an era of enlightenment, rebirth and much needed change.
A renaissance.
A renaissance of art, education, technology, government, spirituality, faith, awareness and common sense.
A renaissance we so richly deserve.
Sincerely,
Girl of The Golden Age
Gila Stern is an award-winning content and marketing executive with over two decades of experience driving growth for diverse brands, from global leaders to startups. She brings a deep background in new media/entertainment management and content development across a diversified distribution network, including television, digital, and mobile. Gila has written and produced more than 1500 episodes of business television programming, hosted by renowned politicians and celebrities, featured on Fox Business Network, CNBC, Bloomberg, Bravo, E! and more.