My phone bill

[matt819]

This comes as no surprise to anyone, but I thought I'd mention it anyway.

Have you looked at your phone bill recently?

I just moved into an office and got a single business phone line.

The breakdown of costs continues to impress, even after having phones for damn near 40 years.

Phone line itself: $17.49 (got a non-profit discount)
Taxes and fees: $12.40
Long distance: $6.95
Taxes and fees: $1.80

The total isn't particularly outlandish, but consider that taxes and fees make up close to 60% of the total cost.

Similar calculations can be applied to airline tickets.

Again, this is not news, but it is still irritating.

[DebJ]

1. Since a portion of those taxes and fees goes to provide phone service

to those who otherwise can't have it, I'm okay with it.

When I was a single parent with two small children (under age 6) I didn't have a phone for three years
because daycare, rent, and transportation ate up all I could earn even at 60 hours a week and more.
Often I'd go to sleep at night praying there wasn't an emergency where I needed to dial 911. Like at the
drug dealer next door....I had told the cops about him, they wanted ME to log in all the license plates
coming and going, etc., and did nothing....

So I don't mind giving someone else peace of mind. Not much I could do with that little bit of money myself.