ON TAXES, DEMOCRACY and MATT STOLLER - What he said! Although I would go a step further and say that if I had the ability to stipulate what even a fraction of my taxes were spent on, I'd feel more "proud" to have paid my taxes. I think the best stance is somewhere between these two positions. If it is deemed honorable service to the country for having served in the military or as a policeman or other first responder, should it not also be deemed honorable for paying for it? Now the argument against this position is that the military and the first responders do their duties AND pay taxes (I'm all for active duty military getting out of taxes, actually).
Consider the value of citizenship... Perhaps taxes aren't the cost of democracy or government, but rather the cost of citizenship. After all, government does provide for a national defense among other things. Now before my fellow conservatives start burning me in virtual effigy, I still believe that government has over reached into our lives and that is a bad thing that should be fixed post haste. But let's not pretend that government fails to provide us with anything of value.
That I have my freedoms secured by the Constitution of the United States and protection against having those rights stripped away by any enemy foreign or domestic is a value well worth having to pay a little bit of taxes to enjoy. And that really is the conservative position... The problem is that taxes are too high. The reason for that is that government has taken on far more than government was ever intended to take on under our Constitution.
I take zero deductions every year. Essentially, I am giving the government an interest free loan. I don't mind that... I look at it as my way of contributing, particularly in a time of war, when I otherwise couldn't. Does paying my taxes make me some kind of hero? Nope...I'm just doing my part...just like everybody else. Fulfilling a civic duty should be popular, not shunned; but let's not pretend that doing so is super-fun-time or anything.
