What exactly do you want your tax dollars going to?

1. 93

   peeplesposted 10 years ago

   What exactly do you want your tax dollars going to?
   
   Everyone wants to complain about what they DON'T want their tax dollars going to. No helping the poor, no welfare, no healthcare, no immigrants, no big companies, no politicians, and so on. So my question is what exactly do you want your tax dollars going to?

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2. 80

   Wayne Brownposted 10 years ago

   The real question is not 'where we want the tax dollars to go' but how many tax dollars can we spend that we do not have or eventually cannot afford to produce.  At some point, every society runs the risk of taxing itself out of existence in order to fund someone's new idea.  It is not a question of deciding whether to help the poor but how much can logically be spent in that fashion.  If you are out of money, do you go down to the bank and take out a loan so you can pass the money out on the street?  Ideas as to how to spend more money are a dime a dozen and can easily be conjured up by the biggest idiot in the crowd.  Fiscal responsibility demands that we find a balance between our needs, our desires, and our available resources.  Washington does not understand that concept and thus cannot fix it.  One final point, Lyndon Johnson, during his presidency of the mid-60's, declared a war on poverty which still goes on today.  By all accounts, this nation has spent more than $15 trillion dollars in that fight since the time of his declaration yet poverty is at a higher level today than at the time the effort began.  My point here is to say that we continue to pour money in as the solution when there is more than ample data in our history to show that we are losing that battle. Fiscal responsiblity begs that one look at the ways in which we are wasting money while salving our conscience telling ourselves that we are accomplishing something good.

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3. 92

   Jeannieinabottleposted 10 years ago

   I personally don't mind my tax dollars going to welfare, immigrants, and helping the poor.  What is wrong with helping the people that need it the most?  I have many friends that work full-time jobs and get food stamps to help them get by.  Why wouldn't I want my money to help someone who is doing everything in her power to survive but still needs extra help?  In all honestly, it is probably their own tax dollars paying for their own food stamps in that situation though.  If the government didn't take so much money out of people's pockets, they would not need as much assistance.
   
   I would also like to see taxes go towards improving streets, bridges, and schools.  I would also like teachers, police officers, and fire fighters get raises.  Aside from all that, I want the government to use common sense on spending.  They constantly waste our money and don't care that they do.  I know plenty of people that work for the government and their stories on how they money is spent is ridiculous.

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      jstfishinmanposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      If the government gets involved 70% of the money goes to government workers instead of the needy. If the government let me keep more of my money I could help more people much cheaper.

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4. 75

   CraftytotheCoreposted 10 years ago

   I know full-well that anyone can find themselves in a time of need.  I would like to see my tax dollars going where it will make a difference in lives and for the greater good of society. 
   
   Meaning, I fully support helping people in times of need or crisis.  But just recently for example, there was an un-announced food give away here.  I'm driving down the street and see Mercedez, Lexus, Acuras, BMWs, all these high-end cars pulling in to the social service dept parking lot.  So I figured there must have been a meeting going on because one of our town's departments is bankrupt.  I naturally thought these were folks that were going to a town meeting.  Nope.  Next day, in the paper, residents line up for bags of free food.  I wasn't told about this.  No one I know was told about this.  We live in a poverty stricken area.  There are annual newspaper articles begging people for food donations to feed the poor.  The town got rid of the soup kitchen years ago.  But here's a free food give away and the poor weren't told about it!  So, that's what I complain about.

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5. 84

   M. T. Dremerposted 10 years ago

   There are a lot of things I don't mind my tax dollars going to, but the single most important is also the one that is the most neglected: education. Aside from falling behind global standards, a country without education is the most prone to greed and corruption. It's so easy to manipulate a population when they can't understand what it is you're doing.
   
   We have virtually no hope of solving problems like debt, healthcare and unemployment if people are too easily swayed by the voice with the most money. Education is the only counter to propaganda, but propaganda has done everything in its power to prevent people from getting that education in the first place. Not only do we need higher standards in K-12, but all college should be free. Sure, some might think higher education is a privilege, not a right, but with that mentality comes a population that can't think for itself.

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6. 40

   ChristinSposted 10 years ago

   I know that living in a functioning society requires the payment of taxes.  I would rather have my tax dollars funding decent education than bombs that hurt civilians. I'd rather pay for universal healthcare than for our current level of govt. spying capabilities. I'd rather fund foodstamps than corporate bailouts.  I don't mind my tax dollars funding the police, fire departments and infrastructure.  I wouldn't mind my govt. ivesting tax dollars into green energy or alternative fuels to free us from the need to interfere in the middle east.  We could take the lead and be a world leader again.

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