... about regulations.

I've always wondered if our government actually looked at some of the things it has done, and now that I sit here with a $1 check as a tax return, I'm fairly certain that it doesn't. Surely it must have cost more than a dollar to send this out to me. Is that money and time well spent?
It got me thinking though...

Is it the actual money that's important or the principle of paying me back no matter the amount?

On the one hand, we have the idea that a one dollar check is somewhat ridiculous, probably not cost effective, and likely more of a hassle to deal with than it's worth. I mean, the thing can hardly buy a single candy bar. While I appreciate being in the positive while others are paying quite a bit of money, I'm more interested in how printing up, sending out, delivering, and cashing a $1 check is cost effective for anyone involved (besides me).
That being said, there's something to be said for following regulations even in seemingly stupid situations. Looking at my description of 'stupid' alone tells us that the line that I've drawn here is quite arbitrary and solely of my own invention, leaving me to ask, am I qualified to answer where to draw this line for others?
In short, no. No I'm not.
Really, when you think about it, one dollar may be nothing to me, but everything to someone else. On an even more basic reading, if we were to draw a line, where would it be? $1? $10? $100? wherever we drew the line would be arbitrary in any case.
Finally, following procedures like this shows us an equality of nature, stating boldly that, no matter how large or small your taxes or return, you will receive it just like everyone else, and in a free and equal society, should we expect any different?

... about stress.

Lately I've noticed that I've been tired all te time. I know I'm not in the best shape of my life, but I'm still in my early twenties, how is this being tired all the time a good thing? Even when I sleep in for hours I still feel exhausted. It got me thinking though...

Are we stressing out too much?

I read in the paper the other day about this new thing called the Pig Flu or something, and when I turned on the news I was greeted by pictures of people wearing those thin paper masks that could have been recycled footage of the SARS scare.
Maybe it's lack of sleep or rushing over finals but I've got to say that freaking out about another classification of the flu is the least of our worries at this point. I saw an epidemic map covering a large land mass covered in bright red that said "6 people." Six people...
Are we making this into a mountain when it should be an ambitious molehill at best? Thousands of people die every year from the flu just here in America. Think about all the people who die in car accidents, do we call that an epidemic? If I said a 10,000 people died in car wrecks in 2007, would you say "ooh that's terrible" or "sounds about right"? Honestly?
Interesting, cause here's the real answer.
Surprised? You'd think we would hear more about these things, wouldn't you?
If we're stressed about things like Pig Flu to the point of hysteria and ignoring the things that are actually and regularly killing us then we need to straighten out out priorities. I know that the new and dangerous things sell news copy but come on! let's try and keep things focused shall we?
Maybe if I could stop worrying about anthrax/SARS/Avian plague/Pig Pox or whatever new thing we're supposed to be scared of is I might be able to get some sleep.