Tax returns and the “collapse” of societies from a global perspective

I pride myself on always trying to get the maximum out of my tax returns (out of necessity really). However, the mumbo-jumbo that tax experts use is an obvious attempt in my opinion at squeezing more cash out of the naïve like me. I have been here for almost 9 years now and no one can tell me for sure when international students are supposed to start filing taxes as resident. Not surprisingly, we also are the one getting the least opportunity for tax breaks. And yes, that would make us one of the fund providers for the “war-for-oil” in Iraq. I am so happy now I could drink my entire building septic tank. The next time someone tells me to shut up about the incompetence of the crrent administration because I am a foreigner, I will nicely remind him that I probably gave a much larger portion of my income to the government than they would ever do. (Now kindly back off my case and monitor your own government miscues for a change.)

This war on Iraq never-ending disaster ought to be looked at from the perspective of Jared Diamond, Pulitzer Prize winner, in his book :”Collapse: How societies choose to fail or succeed “. Diamond, who is trained as a physiologist, researched what made some societies that were once prosperous suddenly vanish. The gist of his argument is that one aspect that is often overlooked in studying the reasons for society’s collapse throughout history is the misuse of available natural resources. I will not get to all his examples (the book is an easy and entertaining read) but he makes for a compelling theory. Now, it becomes easily understandable why Bush would rather pay the price of war in the mid-east rather than outsourcing his own oil source at home.

However, I will add that one cannot have a narrow view of the world resources anymore. Their action in fact is a mismanagement of the global natural resources. If another source of energy is not found soon, a massive scaling down of energy consumption is vital wherever in the world we are. That is only from an energy standpoint because I don’t want to get started on global warming. The point is, the collapse of society nowadays won’t be measured on a scale of a nation anymore. Globalization will not allow that. Society from the perspective of resources is defined as one global entity that will either swim or sink as one. This is why caring for what happens in other parts of the world is more than just a fashionable thing to do or good hearted charity, it has become a necessity for long-term survival. Now If only I could figure out the tax deduction for not using a SUV…. :-(.

Tags: tax returns, jarred diamond, war for oil,