I have no idea what your age is, but prior to Reagan the taxes were killing me. rates were as high as 70% for the so called rich. You are aware, I suppose, what they are now.
So, let's get down to the real problem with taxes and the real people who usurp the majority of rights, raise taxes without a vote and blame the federal government throughout the process.
It is the gold digging State legislature. The one entity that we are supposed to have some hands on control over and the one entity that right arguments always regard as shortchanged by the federals.
Look close to home and you will see who is spending huge amounts of money and growing at a rate that far exceeds the fed.
This is where I see the tax boogie man. This is where I see most of the discretionary federal budget being tapped off to. ("Like the Big Dig")
And how about the education dollar the medicaid fraud and the mis-appropriated highway funds.
Now they are screwing the government for homeland security and even the recent blackout. It never stops.
I see Bill O' reilly pounding his desk on FOX about the lack of federal support as we speak.
We can never control spending in the federal system without getting control of the states spending habits, unions and lawyers.
My believes that federal government has some responsibilities to maintain a safety net for old age(Social Security). Attempt to help regarding health and education. as well as provide for defense has been the norm since the 1930s. It is not going away and will grow as a matter of fact, but this aid to the states has gone far beyond anything ever contemplated and has caused states, (even my own) to no longer be responsible for their own actions. It has become a joke.
Yes and the top bracket was at 90% one time too. Still should I feel great about paying 50% because some poor shlubs paid even more at one time? The income tax is immoral and an assault upon liberty - there is no other way to describe it and there is no justifying it.
You say that you agree with State sponsored welfare/safety nets yet you complain about some of the scolding-nanny do-gooder laws. I contend they are related and the latter is inevitable once the former is implemented. When the State foots the bills for something then they have the right to dictate your behavior regarding those expenditures. Perfect example is the anti-smoking legislation under the guise that smoking raises health care costs. Never satisfied with regulating they now target fast foods, fatty foods and SUVs. The list goes on. Think about those smoking laws - they dictate to you what you can and can not do on your own property with a legal substance i.e. a restaurant must have a non-smoking section or now no smoking allowed at all.
If you haven't read it I suggest you read Hayek's book The Road to Serfdom. Then ponder the expansion of State power and the demise of liberty since FDR. Remember Hayek is a conservative/libertarian icon. Kristol here dismisses him. Also remember that Kristol was a communist all of his youth, then a liberal Democrat and though he now calls himself a "conservative" he outlines clearly that he believes in the liberal welfare state. Hayek and history point out correctly where it leads to. The founding fathers understood these things as well and that is why they formed a limited government with few authorities and believed in localized control - not central planning.
One more point - the same socialist mentality that dominates the Feds dominates the individual States. One can not blame one and excuse the other or vise versa. This disease infects all levels of government. Liberlaism is a cancer that grows it can not be compromised with or controlled. It is eradicated or it overwhlems you.