The true problem with self-employment - illustrated

(From the comic Pardon My Planet. This image taken from the
Houston Chronicle website, though I read the feature regularly
in the Chicago Sun-Times.)

Although I am self-employed, every year I am required to pay an unemployment tax -- and, every year, I ask my accountant if I can fire myself because I have become entirely dissatisfied with my performance. Then I ask if I can lay myself off and collect unemployment (after all, I have paid the tax) because business hasn't been as good as I'd like.

And, every year, my accountant says I can't do either. Then he laughs.

Why not? He's charging for his time listening to my lame joke.

Happy New Year to all.