DEMOCRACY

8/30/2020           

The 65-year-old, James Bundy was walking back to his open garage door, clutching a small Bible’s worth of mail in his hand. He instinctively stopped at the recycling garbage can placed at the door leading into the attached house. Scanning through the library of bills and bullshit, he started to shuffle the advertising crap into that receptacle that would never see the light of his castle. In the trash went 4 AARP promotions, an application for a Modern Bride magazine, and a pledge form for Saving the Butler Garter Snake. All that remained in his hand was a utility bill and a letter from his local property tax board. These 2 items passed the muster and were brought into the kitchen where the smell of fresh(?) Spam was frying on the stove. The utility bill got ripped open first, and the standard $104.93 budget bill was hurled on the desk to get paid. The county government letter was next. Mr. Bundy’s blood began to boil as he read about the tax agency’s decision to raise his property tax by 19%. Out came the colorful language that would make a female porn star jealous, because she didn’t think of those phrases first. Cussing and stomping over to the stove to turn off the delicacy cooking on the burner, James knew he would have to tighten his belt to make ends meet. The Spam was wrapped in used aluminum foil and placed in the refrigerator until misfortune reversed directions. A potato was placed in some more used aluminum foil, and set outside, in the sunlight to cook under a Fresnel lens.  Mr. Bundy elected to fight this, tooth and screw, and was going to contest this misjustice. Right after his declaration of war, James noticed that this notification was thicker than normal, so he started peeling it apart. With everyone using the internet to profile people, it seems his own government had done a background check on Mr. Bundy. The 2nd letter hidden by the 1st, was a denial for his contesting the tax increase. They put it in 1 envelope to save postage.