You Just Don't Know

The other day, I was with a patient and he really opened up and started to talk about all his problems with the IRS.

He had been an undocumented immigrant and apparently, somehow, he owed IRS $9000 a few years ago. Diligently, responsibly, he set up a payment program with the IRS and paid off about $4500. Then, he lost his job, and his 'accountant' told him to not make payments anymore. IRS found him and sent him a bill for $11,000. He was utterly puzzled about how the government could have increased his debt after he had tried to pay it down.

I was puzzled that the government expected him to work to make money to pay his tax bills, when he, as an undocumented worker, would not be able to work legally. So the government's plan was to collect money from under-the-table arrangements?

With all that, I asked him, "Are things here in the US really so much better than things in The-Country-You-Came-From?"

He shook his head and said, "Doctor, you just don't know, you don't know poor."

I was somewhat taken back by his frank comment. Yup, I did grow up quite privilged, even though I had to take out student loans, my parents always had more than we needed. And what do I know about the struggles of the poor? (I actually have two friends from the country he came from, but then again, one of them went to business school with Hubby, and the other was married to the formerly mentioned student, and so I guess, they were really from very different countries. Not the same at all...)