Should there be a flat tax-rate?

*Author's Note: This is a persuasive essay I wrote regarding the implementation of a flat tax rate. Here, I justify the flat tax rate, while still giving the other side.

There should be a flat tax rate implemented into the US government. This would allow for equal taxation across the board, and would be a more efficient system compared to the current complicated and multi-layered taxation methods in use. It would make calculating the taxes due a simple computation for the IRS, and an easy and straightforward process for the taxpayers. A flat tax-rate would also be beneficial to those who own small businesses, so they can easily file their taxes without it interfering with the other tasks of running a company. In addition, it would be a much more fair way to tax the population, but by still being reasonable. For example, if someone made $10,000 dollars a year and another person made $100,000 dollars a year, with a flat tax rate, they would both be paying the same percentage of their income to the IRS, although the person who made more would still be paying a higher amount. This then would eliminate taxpayer discrimination.

Another might argue that a flat tax rate would be unfair because the poor would have to pay taxes, but in reality, the current taxation system is unfair. It is estimated that half of the population does not pay taxes, so the people who do with the current system half to make up for the gap. If a flat tax rate were then to be implemented, it would make sure that everyone would be paying their taxes, and make the burden easier on everyone. Not to mention that this could also eliminate complicated tax deductions, which would result in the extremely wealthy paying more (with the flat tax rate) in taxes than they do now.Yet still, another might argue that the implementation of a flat tax rate would cause many IRS agents to lose their jobs. I do respect this matter, and take it seriously, but with the tax burdens lifted from the business owners, this would allow for them to employ more workers, and soon, the IRS agents without jobs would soon be back to work.

In conclusion, the flat tax system would appeal to many people across many demographics. The wealthy will no longer feel that they are being targeted unfairly, and the poor will see equal treatment and opportunity to contribute to the federal government. The flat tax may have an unexpected benefit of helping to lessen the massive socio-economic divide which has worsened in the past few years. But it's up to us to decide how we pay our taxes from now own. So the next time you file your taxes, don't do them as you always do. Think about the way you're paying them.

The Green Hell

*Author's Note: This is a revised version of my initial writing piece. This describes the time I visited the Nurburgring in Nurburg, Germany, and all that happened when there. It's written chronologically, and in a first person narrative point of view.

A cool breeze pushes through the Eifel Mountains. The solitary and strong Nurburg Castle sits high above the rest of the landscape on a lofty hill, with little shops, homes, and the rest of town sitting below, looking up at the impenetrable fortress. The scene is beautiful. Everything thing about it. But as you look at the grandeur of the German forest, suddenly you hear a loud rumbling, a roar, and you turn around. An MG races past, and then a VW Polo with sponsors spread across the doors. The ground shakes, and just when you thought you've seen it all, you see a Porsche Cayenne S with a sticker on the side reading: AVIS Prestige, being driven by a man in a Porsche Cap, with his wife, and 3 kids. If you're wondering what this has to do with the Eifel Mountains, a Medieval Castle on a big hill, and a small town in the surrounding valley below, well then, let me say, welcome to the Nurburgring. And if you're also wondering what this has to do with me as the writer, I am the 10 year old sitting in the back left seat of the Cayenne I told you about, smiling while my dad is driving the ring at 200 kph.

I can still vividly remember that day, as the massive pines looked like a painter's strokes moving at a million miles an hour, the black asphalt of the track covered in graffiti flying past before I ever even saw it, and my heart pounding faster than a Hasenpfeffer. The sensation was amazing, the blurred sights rolling by, the smell of burning rubber and petrol in the air, and the feeling of centripetal force whenever we would turn.

The car raced toward the Carousel. We reached the turn, and my dad dove into 'the bowl', the lower half of the banking in the corner. Our car was now at a 45º Angle, and moving at 130 kmh. As I looked out my window, all I could see was concrete, the molded alligator teeth of the curbing looking only like a jagged line. Certainly my many hours of playing racing games had payed off to prepare me for this very moment.

From the Carousel, we came to the main straightway. My dad shifted into 6th, and the car sprinted down the track. We flew down the road, and our surroundings began to blur. But as soon as all the excitement came, it came to an end, as we pulled into the parking lot.

It began to rain. The once blue, cloudless skies we're now cloudy, grey, and dark. We stationed our car, and we checked the tires to see how they looked. Grooves were etched perpendicular to the treads, something not seen on a normal rental car. In the rain, the brakes sizzled, and the engine emitted heat like a furnace. The car had definitely been working throughout the drive.

I now had a slight inkling of why Jackie Stewart called this place 'Der Grunne Holle'. Literally meaning ‘The Green Hell’, it’s nickname was a perfect description of what it is. Every year, 3-12 people die running the course, despite the beauty of the landscape in the background. The whole idea of the course was misleading.

Soon after, we left the Ring, Nurburg, and the Eifel Mountains. I began to think. We were heading back to Stuttgart now, and the rain began to let up. The sun shone, but I didn't see it. For there was only one thing in my head:

I had survived the Green Hell.