There's a phrase I've been hearing for the past four years: Support The Troops. Any time I bring up how lousy the war we've been fighting is, some flag waving folks have said Support The Troops. In the early days, any anti-war sentiment would be countered with 'Then you don't support the troops.' The ultimate insult. No one wants to be accused of not supporting the troops. Well, tomorrow is yet another deadline for paying taxes in America, and it has dawned on me that I've been supporting the troops all along.

I'm an independent contractor who drives a cab. I don't make that much money, but every year I inevitably have to write a check to the U.S. Treasury, thanks to the self employment tax. You can't use any of the thousands of dollars in deductions to get out of it either. The government wants 15 percent of my self-employed earnings. Straight up. I think this is bunk. If it were up to me, we could use the simple deductions to relieve some of that burden. If you make $100,000 with your self employment, kicking down fifteen grand wouldn't be too much of a burden. Most of us can live on $85,000. If you make only five grand, having to cough up $750 is much more of a crunch. That's a couple months rent to a poor man. As a result, I have not and never will make very much money as a cab driver. But I still kick down a little green to the government every year.

And what are the biggest expenses for the federal government these days? Funding itself & paying for the war. My money is either going to pay a government official or a soldier for a less than a week. God Bless The American Dollar.

People talk about pork projects and wasted money. I think much of government does is a wasted project, and the war has been illegitimate and morally reprehensible since before it began. None of that matters. I make a little bit of money in America, so I pay some taxes.

I wrote an unused screenplay once about a bum who ran for president in 2000, and there was a moment where someone asked the bum what he thought about taxes. The bum's reply was 'If people don't want to pay taxes, they need to stop making money. It's as simple as that. Look at me, I haven't paid taxes since 1992." Little did I know who would actually win that election (I'm still not sure), and what choices are government would make.

As you write your checks this year, just remember that all taxpayers support the troops. All taxpayers support our government.

It came out a couple weeks ago that a ring of politicians and businessmen had skimmed millions of New Mexico State tax dollars in kickbacks allocated for road projects. That's a decent example of how the government spends your tax dollars. If someone can stuff it in their pockets, they will. It happens much more than is actually discovered. Trust me.

Four years of a foreign war, and the only ones profiting are the businessmen. People are blowing up on a regular basis (even in the protected green zone), and there has not been any sort of plan for victory since we occupied Baghdad. We keep paying taxes, and they keep funding this war. Not much I can do about it, but I do take comfort in knowing I don't make that much money.

Our government takes anywhere from 10 to thirty-six cents from each dollar we make. I guess I shouldn't quibble too much. It is their money. It is their system. I'm just playing ball here.

This column isn't so much about how the government is wasting my tax dollars. I think they will do that regardless of who is in charge. I just wanted to let everyone know what the score is these days. Your taxes are going to fund the war. Your taxes are going to fund the people who started the war. Your taxes are going to fund the people who keep the war going on & on & on. As long as they keep getting the funding, they will keep the war going.

But on the bright side, you can always say with confidence that you Support The Troops.

Happy Tax Day, everyone. It only comes once a year.

Chris Jungle has never made more than 20 grand in one year.