Small Dog Inherits Millions

The News:
The small Maltese of the polemic real state mogul Leona Helmsley, who passed away… will continue living an opulent life, while two of the four grandchildren of the woman, whose avarice was proverbial, did not receive anything as inheritance… Helmsley, who was the owner of a luxury hotel chain, imprisoned by fiscal evasion and nicknamed "the queen of the wickedness" because her famous arrogant and insensitive statements, left to her beloved white Maltese called Trouble a fund of 12 million dollars… her will establishes that when Trouble pass away, be placed next to her in the mausoleum… Helmsley and her husband, Harry, controlled a real state emporium valued in 5,000 million dollars including the Empire State Building. She had a lawsuit in 1989 for fiscal evasion in a famous process in which former employees described her like a tyrant that tormented both workers and executives. In a certain moment one of the former employees mentioned that she once declared: "People like us don’t pay taxes. Only the low class pays taxes"… (reforma.com)

Comment:
It happens to be that in our home we have a Maltese (I don’t think that it’s pure, and never we will know for sure, because one day it just appeared at the door and we adopt it in order to save it from the doghouse, but according to photos, it’s the race that resembles the most), and although we love it, is not going to receive a single dollar of inheritance. In any case, what is going to do a millionaire puppy? To buy imported dog food? To buy a collar with diamond incrustations? To buy bones of Argentinian veal?

The small dog already lost what were the most important things for it, assuming that it’s like any other dog: the walks with its owner and the caresses that surely she provided. Why would want a dog 12 million dollars?

Nobody of course is envying the small animal (I hope). Still sometimes the humans feel a certain secret desire for inheriting that quantity (even a million dollars could do), but when we think it twice, it isn’t important. To dare inherit her dog, this lady evidently had conflicts with her relatives and she chastised them with her testament. The money served as a source of conflict. And that seems to be a tragic constant.

The news says that she was a "… tyrant that tormented both workers and executives." It seems that her relatives were not the only ones that didn’t loved her. Is it worth to forge a fortune that way? Generating so many grudges around her, could she be happy?

And the jewel of her statements: "People as us don’t pay taxes. Only the low class pays taxes." For her information, that perhaps she doesn’t need anymore, the King of Kings paid taxes. Fair or unfair, we cannot go through life evading taxes or any other obligation established by the authorities.

What does the Bible says:
When they had come to Capernaum, those who received the temple tax came to Peter and said, “Does your Teacher not pay the temple tax?”
He said, “Yes.”
And when he had come into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take customs or taxes, from their sons or from strangers?”
Peter said to Him, “From strangers.”
Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free. Nevertheless, lest we offend them, go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first. And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a piece of money; take that and give it to them for Me and you.” (Matthew 17:24-27)

Jesus emphasized that He didn’t have to pay (unfair tax), however He did it. So we don’t have to seek for excuses or speak badly of the authorities, if Jesus paid, it doesn’t matter how aristocratic or low social class we feel, we should pay our obligations.

And besides, based on the story of the news, the part that we take away from our fellow citizens by not paying taxes is going to be eaten by a puppy as dog food and fine bones.