Wow. Either I wasn't paying attention in history class (I sat next to a really cute cheerleader), or they didn't present this to the class.
Anyway, thanks Danny for the link. I've learned something today! I love Free Republic. I've bookmarked the site.
Seems we've always had taxes, always will.
But yes, no government is free. The legitimate issues are how much should government do and how much should it cost.
The U.S. is not bad as far as per capita taxes. There are places that have much lower taxes, but I wouldn't live there.