At what point will he fall into the category of those who get penalized for not having enough withholding taken out? Heck, he's probably already there and couldn't care less. Maybe if writing doesn't provide enough income you should find a job that does. You're just an irresponsible fool and we all know the saying about fools and their money are soon parted.

That, by this column at least, is the last of the reasons he's an idiot. Anyone that doesn't loath the IRS is a deranged enemy of what America is really all about.

He's an idiot for not being able to get his finances in order and I can see why no one would believe a word he says but it's true, the IRS is pretty customer friendly. I screwed up a return and had no idea what I was doing. I was pretty scared when I got the letter from the IRS but when I called them they explained the situation and helped me figure out how to properly amend my taxes. I paid all of $100 that I owed and that was it. Very simple. Very easy. Still, I'm not happy about funding this war...

weren't going to make it difficult for you to pay. Think how they might have treated you if you owed them 100 grand.

Mactosh:

Anyone that doesn't loath the IRS is a deranged enemy of what America is really all about.

you can do a better job of picking your enemies. how about all these slimy snakes in the white house/congress who scream "tax cuts" then you find out the real cuts are for the super rich? the IRS does not make policy. Even the dreaded audits are laws they have to follow.

and if you are part of the super rich I apologize for confusing you with a commoner!

He's not just an idiot, he's ethically challenged. Paying taxes is a civic duty. Willfully spending money legally owed to the government is wrong. It's imposing costs on others who play by the rules to cover your selfish behavior, akin to littering, or polluting.

You'll never end apologizing for being confused either.

I cannot diagnose his mental state; but he is certainly irresponsible, reckless, and bordeline immoral. The article perhaps intended to be cute and harmless, but it is neither. I think it is a shame on Slate to publish this article with no regard for the harm it can cause by promoting this behavior.

My God you people are deranged. This is the kind servility despots everywhere would be drooling about.

was sarcasm, not supposed to be true. I never for one minute took him seriously.

Ehmorgan,

You are confusing paying taxes under an IRS installment plan with lying about one's income or simply refusing to pay taxes. I have never come close to contemplating anything like that. I am not -- repeat not -- claiming that it the height of responsibility or that it is the best way of dealing with your finances. But it does *not* impose costs on others. It is ultimately profitable for the IRS, which gets a return of 9 percent or more -- substantially higher than the government's cost of borrowing. And far from discouraging people from paying their taxes, my story explicitly urges people not to try to hide from the IRS if they come up short at the end of the year, but to use the financial tools that the IRS makes available to pay their taxes in a way that is manageable both for the taxpayers and the government.

Mark

So you're the guy that is wallowing gleefully in his serfdom like a condemned Stalinist adulating Uncle Joe at the very moment the he gets it between the eyes in the Lubyanka basement? Wow, that's inspiring. Scientology and numerous other parasitic cults would certainly be interested in hooking up with you. You're not already hooked up to jumper cables or some other kind of equipment are you?