Unfortunately, the average working American now has over 50% of their income seized by the government for taxes. In large part, this tax money is used to provide freebies for tens of millions of illegal immigrants and also tens of millions of citizens who have become dependent upon government assistance of one form or another.
Entire generations of families have been raised on welfare along with the resultant fatherless families and illegitimate children that only beget more welfare payouts.
Picture this, it is not only socially acceptable but now expected that girls raised on welfare will drop out of school and have illegitimate children of their own - and enjoy a lifetime of subsidized housing, food stamps and an idle life courtesy of the declining base of U.S. taxpayers. Meanwhile, the boys will grow up to be "gang-bangers" and they will be in and out of jails their entire adult lives.
Now it's not a life of luxury to be sure but you can learn to adapt to it just fine. Whether you sit in a jail or in subsidized government housing, your basic needs are taken care of the government (taxpayers) and you do not have to worry about ever getting a job. You can just relax and watch television all day long with ZERO pressure to get off the couch and make something of your life.
All of this is supported by working people who now have 50% of their wages confiscated in one way or another to pay for it all. And on top of that, they are criticized for not having the extra money to put aside for their own retirement. Sadly, for most working people, the welfare bums will enjoy a better "retirement" than they will.
“In fact, many of them might be wealthy if they invested those savings wisely. “
Another thing that needs to be learned - financial literacy. Should be a required course in college; potential upside would be more fiscal conservative voters.
Of course 50% depends on where one ends up in the taxpaying population. Even if it were 20%, that would be too large an amount. Time is one’s most valuable asset - everyone alive is given the same amount every day. To me it is more impactful to estimate how many days / months of the year one works just to pay taxes. Then when I think about where that money goes to pay for waste, fraud, graft, propping up the political class, and laziness. . . the term involuntary servitude comes to mind.