Taxes make the world go 'round. As we have witnessed with the healthcare debate, our nation is experiencing a major shortage of - love thy neighbor as thyself - it's the right thing to do - give what you can/take what you need - altruism. It seems like most people are more worried about someone else getting something that they didn't. Taxes are used for the common good. We need them. I personally think we need more of them. However, I live in a town that has been accused of loving to tax itself, so I may be a product of my environment.

Our city sales tax is pretty high for a small city in Missouri. It pays for street repairs, street lights (I drive) sewers (indoor plumbing cannot be over-rated), police and firemen (who deserve more than they are currently getting - at least here), trails (we have multiple interconnected trails throughout the city), parks, baseball and softball fields, playgrounds, golf courses, multiple swimming pools, and a rec center. We also have a tax that goes to assisting those in the county who need help with things like speech, physical, behavioral and occupational therapy, home based support services, etc.

Property taxes go to our local school district, which as a graduate and a parent, I think is a great district. We also tax ourselves for the school district in the local sales tax. Roads, the blind fund and the library are included. Who doesn't love the public library? Free books, movies, computers and internet, meeting rooms, study rooms, lounging rooms and cds. If they don't have what you want they order it. Free! Nice people, all the books you could want, air conditioning, cushy seating, and quiet. All for approximately $120 a year. Ben Franklin, you're the man!

Why I love State and Federal taxes: #1 - Most of my jobs have been paid for by state and federal taxes. Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security. Taking care of people is important. Thanks to global warming there are a limited number of ice floes available upon which to shove our old and infirm. WIC, TANF, Unemployment, are all part of taking care of each other. Roads and highways, military and veterans' benefits and healthcare, student loans and pell grants, disaster assistance for Katrina, Joplin, and the Colorado wildfires (to name a few). Forest rangers, national forests, national parks, levees, Amtrak, PBS and NPR. And, the always popular, aid to foreign countries.

Compared to other countries, we don't pay all that much in taxes. When you have to find the money to pay them in April and December, it hurts. Yes, some of my tax money goes to things I don't agree with; however, as I haven't gotten my benevolent dictatorship campaign up and running, I have to deal with it and vote for candidates that do agree with me.

Maybe people need to think of taxes less as someone taking their money and more as giving their money for the collective good, in order to accomplish more than they could do on their own. And that is a good thing.