Frickin' Taxes...

There's a common misconception when it comes to jobs in radio... especially those on-air. It's believed that we get paid lavish amounts of cash, live in mansions in the hills, drive our Hummers to the station, and are generally swarmed whenever we venture out in public.

That's complete bullshit.

Working in radio is like having lyme disease... it never REALLY leaves you. Even if you leave the industry... you always have a little bit of it in your blood. Those who currently work in the industry fall into two categories:

A.) They absolutely LOVE what they do, no matter how small their paycheck is
or B.) They were picked on in high school, and found a job that can make them look cool while still being the absolute geek they truly are.

I fall into category A.

With a smidge of B.

I couldn't see myself doing anything else each and every day and enjoy doing it. I have friends that make 3X my salary... and they said they'd give up half their cash if they could get away with wearing a T-Shirt and jeans to work every day. I could never see myself as a cubicle dweller, wearing a tie. (No offense to those who DO dwell in cubicles and wear ties.)

That being said, I finally got my lazy ass in gear and finished my taxes this weekend. OK... so my dad pretty much did my federal taxes, to whom I owed $20. OK... that's not HORRIBLE... but considering when I worked at a supermarket, my return would be a couple hundred in MY pocket... I don't like it. I worked on Kansas' state tax form.. and after milling over EVERY line to make sure I got it right... my refund turned into a whopping...

-$859.

That's right. They said I OWED $859.

That can't be right. So, I called up my accou...er....Dad... and had him double check. Lo and behold... I missed a single line...and that brought my Kansas State refund to:

-$113

Damn it. I still owe.

Now I never understood tax code, but I know there's a way for me to have more taken out each paycheck so I don't owe... but what I just don't get is that... when I make literally NO MONEY... how do I still owe?

I'm moving to Canada.