why are you happy to pay taxes?

just saw this question addressed by some bloggers (via cnn) and thought it was a good counterpoint to the tea-party/should-they-be-forced-to-get-help discussions.

i'm happy to pay taxes because:

• i want my family, my neighbours, my friends, and me to be able to receive the medical and other services that promote wellness;
• i value education, not just for myself but for all;
• i don't want to be isolated by impassible mountain roads 8 months of the year;
• if my house catches fire, i'm going to want someone to put it out.

that's a start.  go.

I dig cops. :)

And as Nomo pointed out in the Tea Party thread:

I dig roads, education, food for the hungry, care for the sick.

These are our obligations as humans.

Because if we didn't have taxes, we'd have anarchy.

I'm happy to pay taxes but I don't think I can outline my reasoning as succinctly as you, pg.

IMO society hums along most smoothly when there are not huge disparities between the haves and the have nots.  Besides funding government in general, taxes provide for social programs that help people in need and provide services like libraries, schools, parks, fire departments, police departments, etc.  Why on earth would I not want to pay for these things?  And why would I not want to pay taxes to help those less well off than myself?

Granted I don't pay a huge amount of tax because I don't make that much, but I feel like I have a very comfortable standard of living.  Wouldn't it be better if we could have a more egalitarian society rather than have people living in huge "mcmansions" using way more energy than our earth can sustainably provide, driving expensive vehicles with built in ass-warmers?  People in many parts of the world live in such horrible conditions, and some people in this country are complaining about paying taxes.  Incredible.  

 And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich  man to enter into the kingdom of God.   (Matthew 19:24)  

Edit: removed the last bit, sorry, ott...

Because everywhere I look, I see tax dollars at work.

The potholes being fixed on Polk Street? Yup, tax dollars.

The parks and trees and high way murals? Yup, tax dollars

The library, museums, etc,.? Yup, tax dollars.

Those things are not funded completely by tax dollars....

But my job is. I work for the State I live in, and I work hard. I pay part of my salary, even if it's around .0000000000001% of it, I still pay into my salary, so I have nothing to complain about.

ooh - you just reminded me of more...

• national parks
• trail systems to run on
• provincial parks and camp grounds
• forest protection and wildlife management (back-country wardens are the coolest people on the planet)

aside: nas, look at you.  you're goreous!

from the other thread:

i DO like to be able to call the police, and the fire department. 
i DO like to have criminals locked up. 
i DO like driving on nice roads without having to pay a toll every 2 miles.
i DO like having a military that can defend the country (and i wish that is what it were being used for, rather than invading and occupying other countries)
i DO like the public schools that my daughter has attended as I would be unable to afford a private school for her -- i'd put her up against any kid from india or korea or china.

i Don't mind paying my fair share for these things - it's called Civilization.

i would be willing to pay for a health care system that focuses on prevention and outcomes in order to lower the costs for everyone, including for mental health, which is really no different than other health, it's just less well understood that you don't consciously control your serotonin, GABA and dopamine levels, etc.

i DO mind paying a higher percentage of my income in taxes than hedge fund managers, corporations and other elites do -- they benefit from all of the above "socialist" services, and they definitely want to do business in the United States and profit here, but don't want to pay their share.  that makes them leeches.

And I should have also mentioned that I like to pay for libraries!  I could never afford all the books I've read from libraries if I had to pay the full cost myself.

And I should have also mentioned that I like safe water to drink and a sewage system that carries away my waste.

And garbage pickup.... you don't realize how much you like garbage pickup until you have take your own trash to the dump (STINK-EEEEE, gaw!)

Original Post by pgeorgian:

aside: nas, look at you.  you're goreous!

pg, one word: Photoshop ;) (thanks though, I'll take that as a compliment on my skills haha)

and i should have mentioned that i like to pay for higher education since i got both my degrees at public institutions.

i'm with you there, nomo.  universities and colleges in canada are all funded sort-of equally, and the result is that higher education is not free, but is well subsidised.  i think my $12,000 masters (not counting lost wages and living expenses, of course; i try not to think about that) is a bargain.

Seriously, that is a bargain. I got a BS, and I paid....10 times what you paid? Course, that included cost of living/food/etc,. but still... :\

I'm a little bitter at the institute I got my degree at.

Among a ton of other things, prison guards, prisons in general, air traffic control, food/drug inspections, stoplights (or all road signage, for that matter), water treatment, weather monitoring and bridges that don't collapse are reasons that I don't mind paying my taxes. 

Another woo hoo for libraries, and while education has already been mentioned, I'll specify special education services.  With therapists running a minimum of $80 per hour, or if you're lucky a grad student at $40, my little boy wouldn't be receiving near what he is getting now in our particular district, and be that much farther from being a truly functioning citizen in the future.  We're fortunate to live in district that puts education as a priority in their budget and voting patterns.

I'm also happy to pay taxes. If people didn't pay taxes, I would be out of a job as I work for a municipal government.

I also second all the good mentions on here - good roads, emergency response, education, libraries, tax funded programs and places that help people - like women's shelters, homeless shelters, etc

Original Post by burninlove:

Among a ton of other things, prison guards, prisons in general, air traffic control, food/drug inspections, stoplights (or all road signage, for that matter), water treatment, weather monitoring and bridges that don't collapse are reasons that I don't mind paying my taxes. 

But axe that "volcano monitoring" stuff - what are they thinking?  (sarc/)

I pay more in taxes now than I earned in an entire year when I began my adult working career - and I HAPPILY pay. For all the reasons listed above, and also because even though there are those who take advantage of public assistance and public programs, there are a vast majority who are mentally ill or simply have been kicked by life one too many times to be able to get up and dust themselves off one more time. I count my blessings and always remember that but for the grace of god go I.

I do however question the sanity of the public officials who decide to spend 25 million of our tax payers money to come up with a stupid provincial slogan that no one will remember anyways!

Taxes are an investment in our common future.

For all those who say they support the troops, taxes are the way we train, arm, care for and support our troops and military families.

Taxes pay for the police, firefighters, teachers and civil servants. Taxes build highways, bridges, tunnels and prepare a future for our children.

In short, to informed citizens, taxes are not evil. They build our communities and our nation.

Proud to Pay My Taxes

Excellent link, Santo.

I pay taxes because I value living in a civil society.