690 Bill? What Bill?

690 Bill? What Bill?

Here's a quote from the local government's tax-is-due notice:

"Failure to receive notice shall not relieve any taxpayer from the payment of any taxes by any taxing district, and such taxpayer shall be charged with his taxes as though he had received notice."

Whut?

Another way of putting that thought: We claim to have sent you a tax bill and maybe we did and maybe we didn't. But if we did and even if it didn't show up in your mailbox, you owe. And if you're delinquent, we'll come get your house.

The other day, a bill came from TJ Maxx. It had a 30 dollar late payment fee and an interest charge. We're never late with a payment. Never! There was no payment because there was no bill. Never got delivered. The folks that handle those bills said "oh, well, you always pay on time and in full, so we have to figure you're telling the truth. We'll waive the late fee-- just this once, but not the interest." Close enough, thank you.

The Student Loan Corporation can tell the same story. "Hey, why's the bill double the usual this month?"
"Because you didn't pay last month, sir." "Oh. Well, there was no bill."

Merchants and municipalities alike are trying to get us all to pay our bills on line. You want to risk putting your checking account on the internet for all to steal? Uh, nah.

Some places will send you an e-mail reminder. Like the Town of Hempstead, New York. Even when you don't live there. Even when you haven't lived there in years. Still, wouldn't you rather have it than not have it? With the Postal "Service" in the shape it's in, you're lucky you get anything at all, let alone bills that if left unpaid will turn you into a bad credit risk.

Guess we have to take matters into our own hands. We have to keep track of which bills come in at what time. And if the paperwork doesn't show up, make a phone call, figure out what the charge is and how much of it to pay, and pay it. Should be a waste of time, but it ain't. Not in today's credit report-crazy world.

Shrapnel:

--Like minded readers and listeners aren't going to approve of this. But when trying to figure out who is right about "finance reform" legislation in its present state, it's hard not to think that McConnell has a point when he says the bill builds in bailouts instead of eliminating them. But if it's the banks' self-financed bailout fund, who cares?

--Hey, patriots, have you ever read George Washington's farewell address? Here it is. Take a look and you might learn about American Patriotism, and some of it may surprise you.

--If you've clicked on the above link, you might have noticed the source of the material is Yale. Before you brand the school another hotbed of liberal subversion, take a look at some of the lefties incubated there, foremost of which in modern times is that raving commie, William F. Buckley, Jr.

I'm Wes Richards. My opinions are my own but you're welcome to them.®

©WJR 2010