Paul L. Caron
Dean





Friday, May 14, 2010

Hemingway and Tax

The new issue of the Journal of Legal Education has a funny article, Why Am I Here? Six-Word Stories About the First Month of Law School, 59 J. Legal Educ. 653 (2010). The article riffs off Hemingway's six-word story -- "For sale: baby shoes. Never worn." -- which he called his best work. Several books and web sites have been spun off the 6-word story idea.

Some of my favorite six-word stories about the first month of law school:

  • Trained by socratic assault. Professors acquitted.
  • Dear Mom, School's fine. Send highlighters.
  • Came smart. Stayed scared. Ended confused.
  • I didn't know I needed luggage!
  • I know the answer--it depends.

I put the call out for six-word stories about tax:

  • 1040: my 10, IRS takes 40. (Chris Hoyt (Missouri-Kansas City)) 
  • Apartment building. Shopping mall. Like kind. (Jim Maule (Villanova))
  • Cheated on taxes. Went to jail. (Jim Maule (Villanova))
  • Code is my friend. It's heavy. (Bridget Crawford (Pace))
  • Deduct it. Fight Later. Then Settle. (Bruce Shnider (Minnesota))
  • Expensing means no reduction of IRR. (Calvin Johnson (Texas))
  • First for love, then for money. (Farid el-Sultaneh) (Bryan Camp (Texas Tech))
  • For sale: Tax Code. Never opened -- from an A student. (Meredith Conway (Suffolk))
  • For sale: Tax Code. Heavily used -- from a C student. (Meredith Conway (Suffolk))
  • I work. I file. I pay. (Bryan Camp (Texas Tech))
  • In tax, NOL is single word. (Calvin Johnson (Texas))
  • IRS is my involuntary 35% partner. (Chris Hoyt (Missouri-Kansas City)) 
  • Let's do a delayed three-way. (Jack Bogdanski (Lewis & Clark))
  • Lost substantiation. Lost deduction. Lost money. (Jim Maule (Villanova))
  • Negative basis -- a crime against nature. (Roberta Mann (Oregon))
  • Partnership taxation. Entity. Aggregate. Very confusing. (Jim Maule (Villanova))
  • Prime directive: adjusted basis equal FMV. (Calvin Johnson (Texas))
  • Really? Money found in piano income. (Cesarini) (Ann Murphy (Gonzaga))
  • Stupid deals done by smart people. (Definition of a tax shelter) (Bryan Camp (Texas Tech)) 
  • Tasty puu-puu platters, tax-free. (Jack Bogdanski (Lewis & Clark))
  • The dog is not a dependent. (Jim Maule (Villanova))
  • Went to tax class. Got Mauled. (Jim Maule (Villanova))
  • What are you? Check the box. (Jack Bogdanski (Lewis & Clark))
  • What happened to Glenshaw Glass: Income. (Jack Bogdanski (Lewis & Clark))
  • You can't deduct your inner child. (Chris Hoyt (Missouri-Kansas City))

https://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog/2010/05/hemingway-and-tax.html

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Tracked on May 15, 2010 12:16:33 PM

Comments

Don't go. No jobs. Die alone.

Posted by: MostLawGrads | May 20, 2010 9:06:14 PM

Without taxes we'd be wealthy.

Posted by: Bruce Guancola | May 18, 2010 10:53:09 AM

I slept through most of it.

Posted by: got hired anyway | May 17, 2010 9:14:37 AM

Bye estate tax! Hello carryover basis :(

Posted by: tax guy | May 16, 2010 8:07:44 PM

Studied tax. Got confused. Stayed confused.

Only thing as certain as death.

Posted by: Jefferson VanderWolk | May 16, 2010 12:09:10 AM

IRS commissioner needs a tax preparer!

Posted by: Peter | May 15, 2010 10:47:05 PM

No patriotic duty to pay taxes.

or

Paying taxes isn't a patriotic duty.

(With thanks to Judge Learned Hand.)

Posted by: tax guy | May 15, 2010 8:23:26 PM

Obtain correct form. Mind the GAAP.

Posted by: WL | May 14, 2010 5:50:48 PM

I came, I saw, IRS conquered

Posted by: former tax student | May 14, 2010 5:38:26 PM

Tax law irrelevant, see: unemployment stats.

Posted by: BL1Y.com | May 14, 2010 5:12:44 PM

Screwed up First Year. Now Screwed.

Posted by: not happ | May 14, 2010 4:09:42 PM

10-4 is good buddy, not 1040.

Posted by: hah | May 14, 2010 10:08:44 AM

I can do it in five words:

"Born free. Taxed to death."

Posted by: Woody | May 14, 2010 8:39:31 AM

Fate of famous Crane footnote? Tufts.

Current estate tax status = Congressional malpractice.

Posted by: Guy Helvering | May 14, 2010 7:38:48 AM

Spend more. tax more. Greece regrets.

Posted by: Dale Newland | May 14, 2010 7:36:39 AM

Deduct Acquisition Fees? INDOPCO Says No.

Posted by: Former Student | May 14, 2010 7:20:34 AM

D in contracts; switched to tax; happy. OK, seven words.

Posted by: mike livingston | May 14, 2010 7:11:15 AM