One recurring theme I hear around election time is taxes. Fred Thomson promises a government that will not “tax us to death”, while Ron Paul wants to get rid of the IRS altogether.

At first, getting rid of taxes may seem like a good idea. After all, we work hard for our money, why should we give part of it to the government?

Personally, this type of reasoning makes me angry. No wait, it enrages me. Getting rid of taxes is not a good idea, what would however be a good idea is to temporarily send every American who hates paying taxes to a country where taxes do not exist or are minimal, to see how much they like it. If they do, they can keep on trying to get rid of taxes but I am sure that the majority of them will change their mind.

What should you expect in a country where there are no taxes?
First of all, do not expect your car's suspensions to work for ever. Countries with low or no taxes have horrific roads, and bumps and holes do not get fixed quickly at all. Do you enjoy riding in your car to a far away destination, driving on these smooth American highway? Forget about them, they're gone.

Second of all, do your parents pay for your college tuition? I bet not. I am actually the only person I know whose college expenses are paid for. Everyone around me is racking up debts and working. But at least you went to middle and high school for next to nothing.
In countries with low or no taxes, the government cannot afford to give you a free ride through middle and high school, like it is the case here. My parents had to pay $4000 a year for each of us, and my bet is that if this were implemented here, parents wouldn't be overjoyed.

Lastly, taxes when done right prevent the gap between classes from increasing. The rich would get richer while the poor would live without basic help from the government. We do not live isolated from the rest of society. It is a shame to think that if we have money, others can die and we don't care.
And if (hopefully) the next President implements Universal Health Care, taxes will ensure that we all pay a contribution proportional to our income so that everyone will have this basic right: the right to be treated if we get sick.

I know that in America, many people think that if we work hard enough, we can all be rich and we won't have to depend on other people's taxes to live decently, and we can all afford private health care.
Let's assume this to be true (I obviously don't think it is). Let's assume that those who can't afford good private health care are lazy bastards who deserve what they get.
What if their child gets sick? What will you tell him? “Sorry buddy but we think your parents are lazy bastards and so we won't pitch in to pay for your chemotherapy, as a form of punishment. Better start looking for a cheap coffin!”? If you have no compassion for the adults, at least have some for the children. They don't have a say in this, and they shouldn't suffer the consequences of other people's actions.

These are only a few areas where taxes prove to be useful. I know that the government spends our money in ways that might seem unwise to many, including me. However, the solution is not to cut out taxes. What needs to be done is to have responsible leaders who will spend our tax money wisely.

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