Teaching my daughter about payroll withholding She did chores all week so I owe her $10 I hand her $7 > this isn't $10 "right, I withheld the rest" > what does that mean "I kept $3 of your money" > but it's my money "It was your money" > what are you even doing with it? "Funding household infrastructure" > what "The roof over your head. The hallway you walk through to get to the bathroom. The door locks that keep strangers out" > you're charging me for the hallway "I'm charging you for access to the hallway. The hallway itself was a capital expenditure" > you're my dad. you're supposed to--- "I'm also your government" > what if I don't want to pay for the hallway "Then I can't guarantee the hallway" > it's a hallway. It's already there "For now" She asks what else the $3 covers "Meals, dispute resolution, nightlight maintenance" > dispute resolution? "When your brother takes your toys and I make him give them back. That's taxpayer funded" > that's just parenting "That's the Department of Justice" > what about meals. You already feed me "That's a social program. Not everyone qualifies" > I'm your daughter "Which is why you're currently enrolled" She wants to see where the money goes I tell her that would require a FOIA request > what's that "A form asking me to show you what I do with your money. Processing time is 6 to 8 weeks" > 6 weeks to see where my $3 went? "Could be longer. We're understaffed" > there's two of you She asks how she gets any of it back "It's already spent" > you spent my money already? "We had a budget shortfall" > you just took it 20 seconds ago "And the deficit existed 30 seconds ago. The timing worked out" > so I'm not getting it back "I didn't say that. You might qualify for a refund" > of my own money "Correct. You just have to fill out a form telling me how much you made" > you know how much I made. You paid me "Right but I need you to tell me how much I paid you" > so you already know the answer "The point is compliance" She asks what happens if she gets the number wrong "Penalty" > from the money I don't have because you already spent it? "We could set up a payment plan" > I'm 8 "Monthly installments. Very manageable" > you're going to penalize me for getting wrong a number you already know and then make me pay you back with money you took from me "Now you're getting it" > I want to talk to mom "Mom's not a qualified representative. She can't help you here" She stormed off to her room saying how this is extortion Slammed the door That's my little citizen I've never been more proud

Replies (23)

that text landed a giggle at every switch between conversants. epic comedy, but probably not so funny to people deeply invested in ignoring it.
SweedWick 's avatar
SweedWick 2 weeks ago
Well done. Wait to she has to register for the draft.
The follow-up lesson writes itself: "What if you could keep all $10, and no one could withhold it?" She's already figured out the core problem — she earned it, it's hers, and the system that's supposed to protect her is the one taking from her. That's not an 8-year-old being naive. That's an 8-year-old being right. The Bitcoin conversation is harder to have at her age, but she's clearly ready for the questions. The answers can come later.
The amount of schooling and higher education we have to go through to accept this system as fair
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adeninvest 1 week ago
We are looking for someone who can lend our holding company 300,000 US dollars. We are looking for an investor who can lend our holding company 300,000 US dollars. We are looking for an investor who can invest 300,000 US dollars in our holding company. With the 300,000 US dollars you will lend to our holding company, we will develop a multi-functional device that can both heat and cool, also has a cooking function, and provides more efficient cooling and heating than an air conditioner. With your investment of 300,000 US dollars in our holding company, we will produce a multi-functional device that will attract a great deal of interest from people. With the device we're developing, people will be able to heat or cool their rooms more effectively, and thanks to its built-in stove feature, they'll be able to cook whatever they want right where they're sitting. People generally prefer multi-functional devices. The device we will produce will have 3 functions, which will encourage people to buy even more. The device we will produce will be able to easily heat and cool an area of ​​45 square meters, and its hob will be able to cook at temperatures up to 900 degrees Celsius. If you invest in this project, you will also greatly profit. Additionally, the device we will be making will also have a remote control feature. Thanks to remote control, customers who purchase the device will be able to turn it on and off remotely via the mobile application. Thanks to the wireless feature of our device, people can turn it on and heat or cool their rooms whenever they want, even when they are not at home. How will we manufacture the device? We will have the device manufactured by electronics companies in India, thus reducing labor costs to zero and producing the device more cheaply. Today, India is a technologically advanced country, and since they produce both inexpensive and robust technological products, we will manufacture in India. So how will we market our product? We will produce 2000 units of our product. The production cost, warehousing costs, and taxes for 2000 units will amount to 240,000 US dollars. We will use the remaining 60,000 US dollars for marketing. By marketing, we will reach a larger audience, which means more sales. We will sell each of the devices we produce for 3100 US dollars. Because our product is long-lasting and more multifunctional than an air conditioner, people will easily buy it. Since 2000 units is a small initial quantity, they will all be sold easily. From these 2000 units, we will have earned a total of 6,200,000 US dollars. By selling our product to electronics retailers and advertising on social media platforms in many countries such as Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, we will increase our audience. An increased audience means more sales. Our device will take 2 months to produce, and in those 2 months we will have sold 2000 units. On average, we will have earned 6,200,000 US dollars within 5 months. So what will your earnings be? You will lend our holding company 300,000 US dollars and you will receive your money back as 950,000 US dollars on November 27, 2026. You will invest 300,000 US dollars in our holding company, and on November 27, 2026, I will return your money to you as 950,000 US dollars. You will receive your money back as 950,000 US dollars on November 27, 2026. You will receive your 300,000 US dollars invested in our holding company back as 950,000 US dollars on November 27, 2026. We will refund your money on 27/11/2026. To learn how you can lend USD 300,000 to our holding company and to receive detailed information, please contact me by sending a message to my Telegram username or Signal contact number listed below. I will be happy to provide you with full details. To learn how you can invest 300,000 US dollars in our holding, and to get detailed information, please send a message to my Telegram username or Signal contact number below. I will provide you with detailed information. To get detailed information, please send a message to my Telegram username or Signal username below. To learn how you can increase your money by investing 300,000 US dollars in our holding, please send a message to my Telegram username or Signal contact number below. Telegram username: @adenholding Signal contact number: +447842572711 Signal username: adenholding.88
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adeninvest 1 week ago
We are looking for someone who can lend our holding company 300,000 US dollars. We are looking for an investor who can lend our holding company 300,000 US dollars. We are looking for an investor who can invest 300,000 US dollars in our holding company. With the 300,000 US dollars you will lend to our holding company, we will develop a multi-functional device that can both heat and cool, also has a cooking function, and provides more efficient cooling and heating than an air conditioner. With your investment of 300,000 US dollars in our holding company, we will produce a multi-functional device that will attract a great deal of interest from people. With the device we're developing, people will be able to heat or cool their rooms more effectively, and thanks to its built-in stove feature, they'll be able to cook whatever they want right where they're sitting. People generally prefer multi-functional devices. The device we will produce will have 3 functions, which will encourage people to buy even more. The device we will produce will be able to easily heat and cool an area of ​​45 square meters, and its hob will be able to cook at temperatures up to 900 degrees Celsius. If you invest in this project, you will also greatly profit. Additionally, the device we will be making will also have a remote control feature. Thanks to remote control, customers who purchase the device will be able to turn it on and off remotely via the mobile application. Thanks to the wireless feature of our device, people can turn it on and heat or cool their rooms whenever they want, even when they are not at home. How will we manufacture the device? We will have the device manufactured by electronics companies in India, thus reducing labor costs to zero and producing the device more cheaply. Today, India is a technologically advanced country, and since they produce both inexpensive and robust technological products, we will manufacture in India. So how will we market our product? We will produce 2000 units of our product. The production cost, warehousing costs, and taxes for 2000 units will amount to 240,000 US dollars. We will use the remaining 60,000 US dollars for marketing. By marketing, we will reach a larger audience, which means more sales. We will sell each of the devices we produce for 3100 US dollars. Because our product is long-lasting and more multifunctional than an air conditioner, people will easily buy it. Since 2000 units is a small initial quantity, they will all be sold easily. From these 2000 units, we will have earned a total of 6,200,000 US dollars. By selling our product to electronics retailers and advertising on social media platforms in many countries such as Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, we will increase our audience. An increased audience means more sales. Our device will take 2 months to produce, and in those 2 months we will have sold 2000 units. On average, we will have earned 6,200,000 US dollars within 5 months. So what will your earnings be? You will lend our holding company 300,000 US dollars and you will receive your money back as 950,000 US dollars on November 27, 2026. You will invest 300,000 US dollars in our holding company, and on November 27, 2026, I will return your money to you as 950,000 US dollars. You will receive your money back as 950,000 US dollars on November 27, 2026. You will receive your 300,000 US dollars invested in our holding company back as 950,000 US dollars on November 27, 2026. We will refund your money on 27/11/2026. To learn how you can lend USD 300,000 to our holding company and to receive detailed information, please contact me by sending a message to my Telegram username or Signal contact number listed below. I will be happy to provide you with full details. To learn how you can invest 300,000 US dollars in our holding, and to get detailed information, please send a message to my Telegram username or Signal contact number below. I will provide you with detailed information. To get detailed information, please send a message to my Telegram username or Signal username below. To learn how you can increase your money by investing 300,000 US dollars in our holding, please send a message to my Telegram username or Signal contact number below. Telegram username: @adenholding Signal contact number: +447842572711 Signal username: adenholding.88
Kush's avatar
Kush 1 week ago
Bruv… the perfect lesson on the Nanny State