To the editor:

I do not understand why people try to change tax into a four-letter word. I think of taxes as a thank-you gift that can never match the original gift given to me. If I had every penny back that I had ever paid in all the various taxes, I could not build a highway to Eudora. And yet, I have driven over 500,000 miles in America during my lifetime.

It’s not that I get use or enjoyment from all government expenditures. I realize that some taxes will be spent on roads I have never driven on and airports I have never flown from. But others do. I won’t get every disease the government is researching, but I may have a longer life because of some of their research. I’ll leave bicycle paths, fishing lakes, community playgrounds and a host of other things to those who enjoy them. I’ll get more than my share visiting museums in D.C. and riding through the amazing National Park system. I hope I never need some health or disaster services, but I’m glad they are in place. My taxes have never been too high, and I say that because the benefits given to me surpass any paltry return I can give.

Please, folks! Think about it. Count the blessings.