🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <dsaCDqCs2.1I7@netcom.com> dsa@netcom.com (David S.A. Stine) writes:
>In article <27o4b9$o2q@agate.berkeley.edu> newman@garnet.berkeley.edu (Nathan Newman) writes:
>
>>As noted, Canada shows it can.  And private insurers have proven
>>conclusively that they are chronically wasteful.  It is estimated that our
>>system spends $250 billion on paperwork that is unneeded and useless.  THe
>>government would simplify paperwork--as it does in every country with
>>national health insurance.
>
>Nathan, this isn't meant as a personal slam against you, but I can tell
>from this statement that you simply have not dealt with the US Government
>in the real world. Those of us who have to fill out the full 1040 tax form
>and who have run our own business know for a fact that if you want
>paperwork reduced, the LAST, very, very LAST people you expect to do so is
>the federal government.
>
>If you think the paperwork is bad now, just wait. The government can make
>it much, much worse. The government NEVER simplifies paperwork. 
>
>The ultimate proof of this: they often have a "paperwork reduction act"
>which requires them to give you yet another piece of paper telling you that
>they are making an effort to reduce paperwork. When you stand back to
>consider this, you realize that they are simply incapable of reducing
>paperwork. 
>
>dsa


Whoa now, wait a minute:  let's not get carried away.  The very form you 
use as an example of excess paperwork used to be the ONLY form you could
use to file with the IRS.

As you may recall, back in the late '70s or early '80s, the government 
ACTUALLY SIMPLIFIED THE TAX PAPERWORK for MILLIONS of Americans by 
introducing the "short form" 1040A, and later the "very short form" 1040EZ.

It just so happens that the vast majority of my adult income-tax paying 
life was spent filing just these forms.  Let's not go off the deep end
with your "holy pronouncements" about the government's "inabilities" 
now.

Even ** IBM ** is shaping up nowadays, fer gosh sakes...    :-)



Phil Koenig
pjk@netcom.com