I got a nice letter from the Internal Revenue Service. It said I wasn't giving them enough. My thought is, "How am I supposed to stimulate the economy, when they want most of my money?" I'm not trying to make a political statement. I am an honest individual and I try to pay my taxes on time. Sometimes I might fall a bit behind. That was the case yesterday when I opened the letter. It stated that I needed to send in a little more. I was quite embarrassed. I knew I had to face the fact that I wasn't complying with our agreement. So I put off making the call. I thought to myself, "If I call, I'll just be on hold for hours." I felt like the kid who got sent to the principal's office and made 18 stops before getting there. I was very nervous at the thought of justifying myself to an IRS agent. Well, to my surprise, I didn't have to speak to an agent. I didn't speak to auditor, supervisor or even a janitor. I handled to letter through an automated phone service. I was able to indicate a new figure that I would send in monthly and all I had to do was just punch it in to the keypad. I was also able to salvage my dignity. What a relief! Then I thought, as I almost always do, where are the agents? Are they working? Where are the humans?

Is it like that in your office? Do you have an automated phone service? I didn't like them until I had to use them to deal with the IRS. Now I love them.   

I know that there are humans making phone calls. Jerry calls frequently and leaves a message on my machine. He tells me about this great satellite system that he is selling. Then there's Peggy. She tells me about how there's no problem with my credit cards at this moment, but how it would be in my best interest to call her so I can obtain a lower rate. I love having friends like that, that call me Monday through Friday from 5pm to 8 pm. Especially when I'm about to have my first bite of dinner.