Tax day 2018 is almost here, the deadline when all tax returns should be filed and taxes owed to the government paid.

And while some individuals may file for an extension, the vast majority of us will end another year of our business relationship with Uncle Sam by reporting our income, deductions and losses to determine how much money we may pay to live in this country and the state of Mississippi.

Our taxes are too high, realistically speaking. We can all agree on that. If America were a business and you could go in, assess and restructure without the bureaucracy that stands in the way at federal and state levels politically, we would all have more money on April 17.

That’s one thing that conservatives and liberals can agree on: Our big government is not the most efficient in the world.

But we have much to be thankful for. A democracy like ours in America representing hundreds of millions of people for more than 200 years shines in its flaws because it was crafted by the people, for the people, with fair representation as directed by the Constitution.

We may like everything about America, its government, or even its taxation. But the money we pay seems a small price to live in a country in which we are free to go and come as we please, free to speak our mind and free to learn and work to become whoever we want to be.