This stupid $%$^**!! GOVERNMENT!!

[chrisinhouston]

As some of you may remember, I posted back in November about how I've pretty much given up having a life so I can take care of my 86 year old mom who his in home hospice with the final stages of Alzheimer's and my 91 year old blind dad. I not only take care of everything in their personal daily lives as well as dealing with paying all of their bills, taxes and whatever comes our way.

So, last week I get a letter for each of them addressed to me from Social Security as I am there appointed "Representative Payee" which basically means I have the authority to talk to the SSA about any problems or changes to their SS payments and that I pay their bills using this money.

The forms need to be filled out and returned or I may be penalized. The first question asks if I have been convicted of any felonies in the past year and then goes on like a tax return asking how much of the total SSA payment went to housing, food, clothing, health care. etc. Then they want to know if any was put in a savings account or some other investment.

I guess it's prudent to make sure they are being well cared for but it does bother me that they want all this personal information. My parents are pretty well set financially but even with their SS checks we take money out of investments as needed.

NOW, HERE IS ANOTHER MADDENING THING!!!

Last September we got a letter from the Philadelphia office of the IRS saying there were some discrepancies in my parents 2004 tax return and demanding they pay about $3700! I pulled out a copy of the return which is 37 pages long. Seems there were some 1099's that came in after they filed and we then did an amended return and thought that was that. Well, apparently this IRS office never saw the amended return. So, I tried to deal with the IRS via phone (30 minute hold times) and they told me we would have to submit a 2848 Power of Attorney Appointment form before they would even talk to me. I did and then worked with their CPA who has had to fax in countless copies of backup to show they owe nothing. Well, the ball is still in their court on the 2004 stuff and guess what??? Yesterday we get the same letter for a discrepancy of $1800 on their 2005 return. I called the number and because it is in a different department the lady would not talk to me because she does not have a copy of the form 2848 in her file and when I asked if she wouldn't just find the form in the other IRS file she hangs up on me! This is beginning to border on harassment!