The BS Bag Is Back !

You may have noticed that I haven’t gotten the BS Bag out for quite some time.  That could seem to indicate that either the sources of aggravation in my life have dried up, or I’m heavily sedating myself so as not to notice.  In truth, both reasons are inaccurate.  For, some time ago I decided to use this special container for only the most outrageous and disturbing stuff I encounter on my daily trek.  And, the incident that “ticked me off” had to cause a blood pressure elevation of at least 180 over 100 before committing it to writing.

Well, today I got my latest property tax bill.  Immediately I was hit with a flashback of what made my sphygmomanometer blow up last year when I tried to, (for the first time I must add), pay these taxes electronically.  And since I consider what happened then to be bullshit of the vilest vintage, I thought it good therapy to finally exhume the distasteful memory, and give it a proper burial in today's bag.

Here’s what happened.  The electronic process forewarned, that if I used a credit card to pay the tax bill, a “Convenience Fee,” (whatever that is), would be assessed and added to the total.  Now in my book, any added fee is certainly not convenient.  But sometimes one finds himself in a weaken state due to fighting the “system,” and simply not in the mood to quibble over small issues of little practical consequence.  I mean, even an unexplained amount of five or so bucks wasn’t going to sabotage my budget for the month.  So I filled in the necessary information and proceeded to the “Check Out” page.

This is where the excrement hit the fan !!  In the box that represented the so-called “Convenience Fee,” I found a number more odious and ethically immoral than I could have imagined.  For someone’s “convenience,” (certainly not MINE), they had the nerve to access a total of THIRTY-FIVE DOLLARS !!  Not only that, in red there was a disclaimer that the “convenience fee” would NOT be going to the tax assessor, but to an outside agency that processes credit card payments.

Now, I assume the “outside agency” was the credit card company, itself.  And I’m almost positive I know why they wanted to charge me $35.00 up front.  It’s because they knew the chances of them making any money on this type of transaction, were questionable at best.  It had nothing to do with “convenience” of any sort.  They anticipated that I (and others like me who might use their credit cards to pay taxes), would be paying the full balance when it was due, and NOT sending in a “minimum” payment.  So they colluded with the bureaucrats to include their service fee up front, as part of the overall tax payment.

Now, if there’s one thing I hate, it’s an opportunist. And if there’s one thing I hate even more, it’s more than one opportunist teaming up to take advantage of me.  So the combination of a taxing agency AND a credit card company in cahoots, adds up to appropriate content for anyone's B.S. bag.  In the end, of course, I didn’t end up paying my tax bill using a credit card.  For MY convenience, I sent them a check which cost me nothing.

I’m thinking that maybe when I pay this newest bill, I should seriously consider showing the assessor’s office how repulsive I find  their monetary collusion with private sector Shylocks.  It might be as simple as just boxing up and shipping them the amount of taxes I owe… all in those rolls of PENNIES I've been saving over the years.  A rough calculation tells me it would add up to about 900 POUNDS of coins they’d have to process in order to call us even.   Now for me, it certainly would be a “convenient” way to get rid of all those pennies.  And for the tax assessor and his minions, it might be a “hands on” way to learn this concept: One person’s convenience, is another person’s pain in the ass.