Obligated military service versus the all volunteer force

[Unclebill]

Sure, I've heard of the color gray. I've even applied a few acres of it having served 12+ years aboard U. S. Navy combatants. And I'll definitely back your declaration that it exists. There was one in my Crayola box and there's still one in my granddaughter's today (if she hasn't lost it).

Now, in your clever way, you seem to be hinting at matters of ethics and principle with the black, white and gray analogy. When it comes to individual rights, individual freedom and individual responsibility, I guess extremist is what you would call me. Being a litle bit free fits the same analogy as being a little bit pregnant. It's an either-or situation. Everything in that gray area between freedom and slavery is slavery, it's just a matter of degree.

As to principles, you either have and stand by them or you don't. Anything less than yes is no when it comes to adherence to principles, ethics, morals and values.

As to weapons, yes, I own a few and have a modicum of skill in their usage. But the only locale from which you need steer clear is aggression. While I may attack the ideas of someone as irrational, illogical and inconsistent, I will not attack the person physically. I will, however, defend myself, my family and my property.

White sheets? None around that I'm aware of. All some sort of floral pattern or stripes if I remember correctly. Need a detailed inventory? But there's probably a 'white sale' going on somewhere close if you need to restock.

Matches? Let's see. Last time I lit birthday candles for my granddaughter, I had to light a skewer via a burner on the stove to get the candles lit. Stove and furnace both have electronic ignition. Hope the water heater pilot doesn't go out. I may have to go borrow (or maybe even buy) one.

And you really didn't need to post it twice. The innuendo was equally clear in the first post.

 

[CelestialBody]

 

[Sparky Kronkite]

So's Uncle Bill....

I figure I got you pegged.....

I'd Semper Fi you sept'n you're a swabby. Squid. How can you guys where those dorky hats?

Anyway - that's neither here nor there.

I believe that "gray" is an unfortunate and common reality - just like the fucking paint you applied to what ever tub you might have blessed. It must be dealt with, not dismissed.

Otherwise - decay.

{My bet right now folks, he's thinking I'm sounding like like an O-somethin', an ocifer/lifer dip-dunk - but little do he know, I'm a dirt bag fluff-dry all the way.}

Anyway - did you check my other thread addressed specifically to you?

I admire the strength of your beliefs and the way you articulate them here. Even sense a pretty good level of humor in there.

However - shit happens, shit is brown and it ain't that far from grey. Got to be dealt with occordingly. You smell it, wipe it, and flush it. Until it backs up on you again.

Hey - now that's a quote from Sparky.

 

[AJPLAY]

To UncleBill

Hey Unc, just wanted to say a couple things. Hope you come back to at least see it. First, Thanks. Thanks for serving and thanks for being what seems to be an extremely educated man. I thought your posts were entertaining and enlightening. It's nice to know that some people can defend and defeat the rap of the military being full of uneducated, can't do any better types. I was looking for a little boost or shot of motivation and you gave it to me. Belated happy birthday. I'm off to celebrate mine.

Semper Fi

 

[KillerMuffin]

I strongly believe that all Americans have the responsibility of defending the country from enemies, it is one of the responsibilities of freedom, which is maintaining that freedom from those who would take it away. This is one of our most basic responsibilities as a citizen. However, what does one do in the case of the Amish? Or the American Natives? Amish do not recognize the American government. American Natives aren't exactly Americans, not exactly, they have their own governments and laws. Sort of a dual citizenship thing goin on there. Do these groups and people like them have the responsibility to defend this country should it be attacked?

This goes slightly beyond volunteering for the military, it goes into being willing to pick up arms and defend the country you live within. A basic responsibility as a citizen, I think it even says so somewhere.

In a time of war, particularly when American soil, not just interests but actual territory, has been attacked, can the draft be justified on these grounds?

 

[Sparky Kronkite]

Well....

I say......

Eat'em!

Amish taste good! Injun's too.

Seriously - there will always be a place for reasonable objectors - especially those with historical backgrounds.

Drafting "everybody" for some type of patiotic/humanitarian service of time to give back to your country and aid you in the appreciation of your country - does not have to be taken so litterally.

 

[Unclebill]

Originally posted by CelestialBody
You want to vote on every single issue-move to France, they're big fans of referendum there. Just watch out for the National Front-they don't take kindly to foreigners from what I hear.

That's my point; I don't want to have to vote on every issue. Moreover, I don't want other people by vote to be able to expropriate my life, liberty and property. Unfortunately, that's happening more and more frequently now. It seems there is a concentrated effort to completely obfuscate and eventually eliminate the concept of individual rights and freedoms.

Originally posted by Sparky Kronkite
I believe that "gray" is an unfortunate and common reality -

It is the unfortunate reality you see because too many people have become entirely too tolerant of blurring the concepts of right and wrong. Personally, I will not permit it within my sphere of influence. If you choose to accept it, I find it rather disappointing that you hold no values so strongly you are not unwilling to compromise them. For accepting the "gray" philosophy is exactly what you are doing whether it is a conscious or unconscious concession. It is the compromise of your values that allows the erosion of you intellectual honesty and moral strength.

This is most abjectly demonstrated by so many peoples' acceptance of someone like Clinton or Gore for public office. Here are people who have flagrantly violated existing laws which their oath of office binds them to enforce and both have lied repeatedly almost compulsively it seems and pathologically. And what is their punishment? Another term in office. I am sickened that there are so many people in this nation who have become so accepting of the "gray" philosophy that this is acceptable. Why do you accept it? Do or will you accept this of your children? Do or will you accept this of yourself? Are you granting this latitude hoping to receive it in return?

I cannot accept it of myself and have made every effort to teach my children and now my grandchild that it is despicable and unacceptable. That you don't find it so truly baffles me.

And actually, Sparky, it never occurred to me that you are/were military. In my 25 years of active service, I found very few people beyond their first term who were so accepting of the "gray" philosophy, whether it be the midgrade NCO's and up enlisted or the officer corps. Being aware of your military service, I am even more surprised at you ready acceptance of this degeneration of principles and values.

As to the other post, my daughter and granddaughter come to mind foremost!

Originally posted by AJPLAY
I was looking for a little boost or shot of motivation and you gave it to me.

Thanks. It's a nice feeling to think that I've touched or helped someone.

Originally posted by KillerMuffin
This goes slightly beyond volunteering for the military, it goes into being willing to pick up arms and defend the country you live within. A basic responsibility as a citizen, I think it even says so somewhere.

This brings to mind the movie "Red Dawn" however improbable it may have been. The concept you pose is noble. The reality is not everyone is willing to fight and die for their freedom. While you and I may be, we have no right to coerce those not so inclined to fight and die for their freedom or ours.

I remember a quotation which I will likely butcher in my presentation that goes something like this, "There are men who are so afraid of dying that they also fear living to the point where they will be kept free only by the efforts and sacrifices of men far better than they." For those who have seen it, I hope it's not butchered beyond recognition. If you have the original, please post it.

There are people who will live in slavery rather than fight for their freedom. That is just a fact of life, not a condemnation. None of us has the right to coerce them to fight for their freedom. If they do not value freedom, then it is up to us to fight to maintain ours and the result is that when we succeed we also preserve theirs. For my term of service in the Navy, I was not there to fight and possibly die for your freedom but for mine and my family's. That you were a beneficiary of my willingness to fight for my own freedom is incidental, not obligatory.

This is perhaps the more difficult battle in the intellectual arena because of partly the decay of our public education system which seems to further undermine the American way of life every year. So little of American history is taught anymore that is not oriented to how the evil Europeans pillaged the American Continents and destroyed the Nirvana that existed that it is sickening. How many people under the age of forty were taught anything about the principles involved in the Founding Fathers' efforts to create a new nation? How much is taught about the unfathomable step forward in the concept of government with the Founding of the United States of America? The establishment of the first government that was NOT a ruling and controlling authority was a monumental step out of feudalism.

For the first time in the history of mankind, there was a recognition of the innate rights of the individual, an unheard-of concept before that point in 1776 when Thomas Jefferson composed the Declaration of Independence. When the Constitution of the United States of America was adopted, it was flawed. The Founding Fathers were venturing into totally uncharted territory with their radical ideas of freedom and individual rights. One of those glaring flaws we can appreciate today was the idea of slavery, something about which they had much discussion.

My perception is that they lacked a coherent, fully developed philosophy upon which to base their decisions. That philosophy did not exist then. They were experimenting with the fundamentals of it. It only came into existence in the 1950's as a formally documented and intellectually explained system of values and ethics. The author, probably the most brilliant philosophical mind of the millenium, was hated and maligned for her marvelously coherent and non-contradictory presentation of a philosophy which integrates consistently into every facet of human endeavor.

 

[Flagg]

The idea of compulsory service is appalling in every sense of the word. I lived for a long time in France and looked on as my French, German and Italian friends all had to organise their personal development around spending 10-15 months getting drunk in a field in the middle of nowhere. I on the other hand had the "luxury" of deciding my own future and direction.

As far as I can tell, the UK has got a pretty decent army as far as armies go. The fact that it is voluntary would suggest that the people within it are dedicated to what they do. It also means that our army is a professional army which is a clear distinction to a military service based population. I also believe that the wages are quite decent for soldiers here. The Army is really considered as an employer and in fact are offering quite challenging postions to graduates.

Having said that though, I for one am not particularily keen on the military environment. Soldiers are not my favorite people - I mean you've got to wonder whether some of these guys just want to play with guns and get into fights without getting into trouble.

As for people that go to college not having an understanding of the real world - it has to be said that that is a typically stupid comment usually made by rather stupid people.

Educated people endure "real life" as much as the next person. The difference is - they know how to understand it.

 

[Gingersnap]

Sparky suffice to say I would never vote for you or anyone else that actually believes that the military is a "good thing" for "all kids". For myself I worked too long and hard to have some toothpick chewing egomaniac scream at me. I can go to work any day and have the egomaniac thoraic surgeon I work for do that and at four times the pay. I ante up every year for Uncle Sam and he keeps a big chunk of my paycheck to play his games. THATS ENOUGH!! So be my guest and send your kids to Uncle Sam's bootcamp session. I bet by the time your little guy is ready you have changed your mind.

 

[Sparky Kronkite]

This is bullshit Unc.....

Unc says -

"I find it rather disappointing that you hold no values so strongly you are not unwilling to compromise them. For accepting the "gray" philosophy is exactly what you are doing whether it is a conscious or unconscious concession. It is the compromise of your values that allows the erosion of you intellectual honesty and moral strength."

Sparky says - this is saying a whole lotta shit and extremely extreme!!!!

First of all I'm always conscious.

Second of all I do have super strong, to die for beliefs. I do have a very, very strong sense of write and wrong.

But I also have a sense of compassion. Compassion for those who may be slightly different than I and their values - of which, even though I might not agree with, I don't find them wholly and "finitely wrong." Certainly not wrong enough to chastise them or have them concern me in anyway. And certainly not to "fight against and give my life for," if it came to that.

I certainly understand, abortion, homosexuality and other such issues in a compassionate what far easier - than I understand your extremist point of view.

You must have little or no compassion if you are not also that way.

 

[Sparky Kronkite]

Sorry Gingersnap -

My oldest has been pre-testing allready - it will be either the Marine Corps or Navy after graduation - other than being a loving supportive father the decision has been all his.

He wants some time to "get it together" before further education. He also wants the service to help pay for it when the time comes.

I have no problems with this or any choices my other two sons make.

AND - If you would fucking read - I'm not necessarily talking "boot camp!"

Some of you seem to be negatively obsessed with military-like verbage. Read what I wrote - it's not at all - all military.

It's humanitarian service to your country - big fucking difference.

 

[Sparky Kronkite]

Hey Unc.....

So, you find me hard to believe huh?

I am the most unique fucker on the planet - I am everyone's worst nightmare - I am everyone's lover - I am everyone's fuck.

I was the Corps worst nightmare and I loved the Corp.

I joined - 73' Too bad it all ended the day I hit Q-Town - the chopper was pullin'em off the roof over there.

I am neither right nor left - examples.

Death penalty? For. Kill the fucker's who have been proved they need to die.

Right to choose abortion, or not? For women's choice.

Tax exemption for any church? No. Tax the idiots. The choice of religion is a free individual choice but tax'em.

Religious Right? Hate'm. Scare me. But they have the free right to express themselves.

Pornography? Absolutely for it! Tax it too.

Sex education in public schools? For it. The earlier the better.

Bussing? For it. The sooner we all fuck each other and have each other's babies and blend a single color (gray maybe?) (I prefer green) - the sooner white pricks like you will fade away.

Huge military spending for national security and a kick ass Marine Corps? Absolutely fucking for it.

What else ya got? Throw it my way.

PS - I feel that anyone that needs, requires, hides behind - a group, a party, a gang, whatever - is a pussy.

I stand alone. My balls are fucking huge. And when and if I ever go down in flames - fuck it, so be it. At least I'll know that I gave it my best shot. A shot at what actually is…… right.

 

[Unclebill]

Originally posted by CelestialBody
Tax exemption for any church? No. Tax the idiots. The choice of religion is a free individual choice but tax'em.

Religious Right? Hate'm. Scare me. But they have the free right to express themselves.

Pornography? Absolutely for it! Tax it too.

Sex education in public schools? For it. The earlier the better.

Bussing? For it. The sooner we all fuck each other and have each other's babies and blend a single color (gray maybe?) (I prefer green) - the sooner white pricks like you will fade away.

Well, let me respond by itemizing the few points on which we disagree and providing some insight into my disagreements.

Tax exemption for any church - Churches should pay the same taxes as anyone else and those should be minimal.

Religious Right - Don't hate them or really care. What can they do? Send me to Hell? Being an atheist, that's a joke with which they can't frighten me. What frightens me is that we have a government willing to enact laws based on religious beliefs which abrogate and expropriate my freedom and my property.

Pornography - As long as it doesn't involve children, I think it's a good thing. And NO TAXATION on it that's not on other similar goods, and again, those must be kept minimized.

Sex education in public schools - Absolutely not and MAINLY because it is presently being used as a platform to advance the agenda of the militant homosexuals who for whatever reason can't seem to deal with the reality that homosexuality is an aberration, i. e., it is not normal. Were homosexuality the norm, the species would not have survived through perpetuation.

My other reason is that it is the responsibility of parents to teach their children about sex and sexuality. Many people have religious and moral tenets regarding sex and sexuality that are vastly different. It is not the place of government (public schools) to teach this facet of a child's education. The government is usurping the legitimate right of the parent to teach their child what the parents deem appropriate. Teaching the biological functions is fine but not the value system associated therewith. The latter breaches the separation of church and state principle stated in the Constitution.

Bussing - Against it. Why don't you respect the right of parents to choose where their child is educated? One way they have of doing that in the public school system is by moving into a neighborhood with better schools. Why do you desire to negate their right to choose for their own children? American was founded on the principles and ideas of individual rights and freedoms and you're advocating negating that.

And since the greatest school related risk the child faces is during transit to and from school, why do you want to impose a longer transit time and thus a greater risk on innocent children? Why would you want to force a child away from his own neighborhood and friends where he can walk to school a few blocks away and make him ride a transit vehicle 30 minutes or more to go to school? That's hardly beneficial for the child or the equanimity of the parents concerned for their child's safety.

And, BTW I find it interesting that you can glean from this venue a racial profile of me. Even in this arena (Literorica) I find I can't even reliably assess gender.
* * *
On the idea of taxation, consider that there are two sides of a ledger; assets and liabilities. Assets are the positives and liabilities are the negative.

In an economy, those entities which contribute to the growth and expansion of the economy are assets. For example, General Motors, General Mills, Microsoft, Occidental Petroleum, etc. They produce a product and/or service that people need and want. Their product brings in capital which enables them to find or create more products and services and the cycle is at minimum a static economy or more often a growing one.

Liabilities are those entities which produce insufficient products or services to cover their costs. Such a company will eventually collapse and close its doors because it cannot buy raw materials and labor to continue operation.

Government is a unique entity in a society and economy. It is a necessary entity for certain aspects of social order. However, it produces nothing in the line of a product or service that it can sell. Thus government is an economic liability while being a social asset (so long as it does not overstep its legitimate role).

Every penny a government takes from an economy is one penny less for expansion and growth of that economy. Thus for an economy to remain healthy and growing, the liabilities must be minimized. It is most beneficial for the society and economy when government costs are minimized.

The more government confiscates, the less is available for development and research for new products and services and thus economic growth is stifled. The less is available for wages and thus your lifestyle is diminished. In short, the cost of government always has negative impact on an economy, never a positive one.

As a challenge, name me a country that has taxed itself into prosperity.

If that were possible, Europe would be outpacing the US in economic growth by leaps and bounds.

Why is the United States of American the most productive and fastest growing economic entity on the planet? Look around and the answer is fairly simple. We have the least egregious tax penalization system around. What happens to US productivity when taxes increase? It diminishes. Look at the difference between Carter's and Reagan's policies and look at the corresponding economic responses.

Carter's idea was when there is a shortage of something driving the price up, put a government price cap on it. The result? Product availability decreased further or evaporated altogether. You couldn't buy it at any price.

Reagan's approach? Reduce taxes and other government impediments and let capitalism work. The result? The fastest and greatest period of economic growth in history. We're still riding the wave of growth stimulated by Reagan's tax cuts in the early 80's.

Even with Clinton's blatantly Socialist/Communist goals he wasn't able to completely kill the economic growth. He did slow it down with the tax hikes in 93 and that is catching up with us now as growth is slowing.

It continues to fascinate me that people overlook or refuse to see such simple yet obvious basics and want to advocate taxes as the solution to a problem when more often than not, the taxes are a major contributor to the problem. Taxation penalizes people, it does not reward them. The human being innately responds positively to reward and negatively to penalties, especially when the penalty is for achievement. Reward is a reinforcement, punishment is a deterrent. Which to you wish to offer people for succeeding?

As an example, when your children were growing up, when your child did something good, did you reward or punish? Punishing for achievement is a certain dissuading influence. If you put the taxation idea into this frame of reference, it makes much more sense how taxes affect the economy at large.

 

[CelestialBody]

 

[Sparky Kronkite]

Hey Unc.....

Overly thorough as usual. Nothing wrong with that. But…..

Now that we know you would arrest or exterminate all homosexuals - how do you feel about genetic/racial mixing via birth? Extending mankind?

You didn't quite get to the graying of American - or is the color light coco?

 

[Purple Haze]

Fuck, I wish I could type fast.

 

[Sparky Kronkite]

PS Unc.....

I'm not for "over taxation" by any means.

I do think it's a good idea to tax addictions of the masses, What the hell? As long as the money goes someplace for the good of us all.

Cigarettes, liquor, I'd legalize pot and tax it too. Hooking? Legal, tax it. Porno - tax it. What else? Religion (an addiction in my mind) tax them. In fact - tax (slightly) all fun stuff. Luxury items. Non-educational toys for the young'uns - you know those battery operated, ride-around cars that folks spoil their kids with? Video games too. Not much, mind you - just a couple of percent. All going to fight disease, better roads and better schools. Rail system. Etc..

I like minimal taxing of lots of frivolous stuff. Stuff people don't really need to survive. They will pay.

 

[CelestialBody]

 

[CW]

Value Added Taxes-Anyone here actually know how that works?

Nope,,, it's just another pot hole that I need to repair in my brain,,, can/would you explain?

 

[CelestialBody]

 

[naudiz]

Oh no! They're after our children!!!

I know that many of you have heard Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, and others speak of the "Homosexual Agenda," but no one has ever seen a copy of it. I have finally obtained a copy directly from the Head Homosexual. It follows below:

6:00 AM - Gym and Tanning Bed
8:00 AM - Breakfast (oatmeal and egg whites)
9:00 AM - Hair Appointment
10:00 AM - Shopping
12:00 PM - Brunch (Salmon Benedict, roasted potatoes, mimosa)
2:00 PM:
(1) Assume complete control of the US Federal, State, and Local Governments, as well as all other national governments;
(2) Recruit all straight youngsters to our debauched lifestyle;
(3) Destroy all healthy heterosexual marriages
(4) Replace all school counselors in grades K-12 with agents
of Colombian and Jamaican drug cartels
(5) Establish planetary chain of "homo-breeding gulags", where overmedicated imprisoned straight women are turned into artificially-impregnated baby factories to produce prepubescent love slaves for our devotedly pederastic gay leadership
(6) Bulldoze all houses of worship; and,
(7) Secure total control of the Internet and all mass media for the exclusive use of child pornographers.
2:30 PM - Get beauty rest to prevent facial wrinkles caused by the stress of world conquest
3:30 PM - Protein Shake
4:00 PM - Tea Dance
6:00 PM - Light Dinner (soup, salad, and skinless chicken breast, with a crisp Chardonnay)
8:00 PM - Theatre
11:00 PM - Bed du Jour

(Courtesy a friend of mine who emailed me this awhile back.)

Why is it that the only place I hear of the Homosexual Agenda is from the people insisting it's happening RIGHT UNDER OUR NOSES and must be stopped? Even my gay friends are stumped by this one. Apparently, the Head Homosexual has failed to send them a memo, and they're just trying to get by in this world same as anyone. Those evil bastards.

Damn, they must be as clever as they are fashionable. We're all doomed!

 

[dancinvixen]

Has any one of the people who have said that being a homosexual, actually ever read history??? I mean in depth???? If you look closely enough, you will see that all the great societies<sp?> actually thrived on homosexual love?? To say that homosexuality was the downfall of all these great societies would be an error. It wasn't homosexuality. It was overindulgence, and over eagerness. Also, almost every one of these great societies required military service of some sort from their young men. It has also been shown that given total power to any one gender is a dangerous thing. Men war, women war. In all honesty sometimes it seems as if women can be crueler. Sure, men can rape the women, whereas a woman might have a little difficulty raping a man, but women have been shown to come up with crueler forms of torture.
I honestly believe that if our younger generations were to be given two choices, join and be a citizen, or not join and have basically no rights whatsoever <i.e. StarShip Troopers, the Roman Empire, The Greek Empire>. They might actually join. Sure money is a great incentive. But it isn't an all powerful thing.
In this day and age however, I believe that the greatest incentive we could give our younger generation to join the military, would be if our military budget, <i.e, military pay and benefits> where greater. We do nothing but shortchange ourselves by treating our military the way we do. Frankly, I have become digusted by our government for it's treatment of our forces. Now, we are fast becoming the most hated and laughed at forces for the simple fact that our government has changed our military into little more than underpaid policemen.

 

[Gingersnap]

Sparky you haven't changed anyone's mind but you have opened the door a little wider on the weird world of Sparky.

 

[Unclebill]

Re: Hey Unc.....

Overly thorough as usual. Nothing wrong with that. But…..

Now that we know you would arrest or exterminate all homosexuals - how do you feel about genetic/racial mixing via birth? Extending mankind?

You didn't quite get to the graying of American - or is the color light coco?

You make some very interesting assumptions; irrational but interesting. Where did I ever mention or imply arresting or exterminating homosexuals or anyone else? I am regularly seen by a doctor who happens to be homosexual. He's a damn good doctor and as long as I'm within reasonable travel distance, I'll continue to avail myself of his skills. I don't have a personal relationship with him but then I don't have personal relationships with my dentist, my barber, my mechanic and lots of other professionals whose services I buy.

Genetic mixing - happens ALL the time. You're a product of genetic mixing.

Racial mixing - that's a decision entirely between the two people involved as far as I'm concerned. And I believe that occurs at conception rather than via birth. Unless I misremember my basic biology, the genetic code must be complete for the zygote to develop much beyond the blastocyst stage. If there is significant error in the genetic structure, the usual result is a spontaneous abortion.

A number of years ago I would have had greater concern for a child of Caucasian/Negro mixed race in many parts of the US simply because there was a more prevasive acceptance of racial bigotry back then. But even with my concerns, I would not even have offered an opinion unless asked. Today, it is little if any concern except in perhaps a few isolated places which still cling to their Dark Ages mentalities.

Extending mankind - I missed your point entirely here. You're too subtle for me.

As to the Graying idea, what difference does the pigmentation make except that if you have darker skin, you're less susceptible to sunburn? As to cocoa, I prefer the darker chocolate but both are good.

 

[wild_jay]

About Value Added Taxes eg. how do they work?

Real easy, everything bought is taxed. When I say everything usually some things are exempted...like food you would buy at a grocery store (not restaurant meals).

Having said that...as a manufacturer you pay tax on everything you buy, add your value to it, then collect tax when you sell. The manufacturer remits the difference (surplus) to the government.

So the final buyer picks up the full tab in the end...which is you and me...right?

Canada has a national tax, called the Goods and Services Tax or GST for short. It is universally hated. Politicians continually promise to get rid of it, then don't...so what's new about that...but the dumb saps we are, we keep re-electing them...and then complain about it.

Here's the best part though...only Canadians have to pay the tax. If you visit Canada and pay the tax on anything you buy, pick up a GST claim form as you leave the country, fill it out, include your receipts, and our wonderful government will process a refund.