I sent in my 2003 Federal Income Tax return yesterday; it's always good to get that done. I filled in the same blanks as last year, just with different numbers, so it wasn't too bad. I'm getting a good-sized refund this year, though I had adjusted my withholding somewhat so that my refund wasn't quite as big as last year. Yes, I know that I should do a better job of matching my withholding to my actual tax burden. Yes, I know it's basically an interest-free loan to the government. Even so, I find great joy in getting an “extra” check every spring to save or spend. I suppose it's just a little enforced saving. It's certainly better than the alternative – having to send in a check – so I'm happy to leave a decent-sized buffer zone and live with the theoretical loss of interest.

Speaking of taxes, even though it's fairly common to complain about the federal government taking away too much of our money, I'm somewhat embarrassed to say that we personally have nothing to complain about. Politicians, and thus tax laws, are these days very kind to single income, married with children families. Our tax “burden” is less than 3% of our total income, thanks in large part to the $1,000 per kid that we get through the “child tax credit.” Still, I'm happy to complain about big government taxing us too much, at least for the sake of my bachelor friends and coworkers, who are paying a much, much larger chunk of their total income, I guarantee.