Taxing

Once again I've encountered someone who's complaining about taxes. I don't like giving away something I've earned just because someone says I have to any more than the next person, but I think those who are vehement in their complaints are missing a point. Where do they think the funding for running the country comes from?

We expect our roads to be paved, or at least safe to travel, plowed in the winter, and repaired in the summer. What funds the Department of Transportation's budget?

We expect that schools will educate our children so they can carry on the legacy we've created and even better our lives. Where does the school budget money originate?

We expect the police to protect us, from the local officers to state and federal officers. Who pays their salaries? Who provides the weapons and the vehicles, their offices and the record keeping? We certainly don't expect them to provide these for themselves.

We expect that our military forces protect and defend our freedoms and keep our enemies at bay. Who pays for everything involved in that process? Who pays for their retirement when they're done active duty? Who pays for their education that's guaranteed them when they leave the service?

We expect that the legitimately disadvantaged will be taken care of, the developmentally delayed, the catastrophically injured, the victims of crime or disaster. Where do those funds come from?

We expect the courts and the legal system to work properly to protect our rights. How can that happen if the judicial branch of the government isn't funded by all the people who have the right to use it? Are judges supposed to donate their time out of the goodness of their hearts? Are court stenographers and baliffs supposed to count their time simply as community service and hold other jobs, too, in order to pay their bills?

I'm sure I've forgotten some other significant examples, but I think the point is clear: if we citizens expect to benefit from things provided by our country (aka "The Man" and "the government"), then we need to foot the bill for these services, so suck it up and pay your just due.