Taxes, Like Whoa

So. Here's the deal. Cliff does really well at work and that, thank the Lord, translates into a pretty decent salary and commission checks. And this is money that we have, to no credit of just our own, been very careful with from the start - we paid off debt, starting saving and investing, and have truly learned the value in giving. We have realized, with his particuar situation, that taxes can get really cumbersome, though. Month to month, we've seen a larger and larger portion taken from his checks. It gets a little frustrating. We've balked and moaned, not understanding why someone who works so hard sees upwards of 25% going out of his paycheck every month to... well... I won't even go there.

And now? With me working... here's where the gut-check comes in. I got my first direct deposit statement today and almost threw a mini-fit at the amount of money that was taken out. And it's not as though I've never gotten taxed before... just never this much. I have quickly joined the ranks of Cliff and now we're in this boat together, wondering whether we like it very much at all.

Now don't worry, I get taxes. What I don't get is this amount of taxes and for what justifcations. Because it takes no account for the individuals. It's all the numbers. And maybe that's a little too idealistic, but come on.

I guess getting my first "big-girl" paycheck has me thinking even more significantly about these sorts of things. And I'm just wondering... why?