To listen to the mainstream media, and by mainstream I mean the conservative cable and radio broadcasts whose audience shares dominate broadcast news and talk, you'd think Americans are unanimous in believing that government is universally incompetent, universally disdained and unavoidably evil. So much so, that taxpayers rushing to make the April 17th deadline to file their taxes probably weren't surprised to be greeted at the main post office on Gardiner Lane by protesters.
What may have surprised them was that these curious protesters were there to thank the taxpayers for doing their fair share to fund government. They weren't thanking everyone, though. The protesters referred to a group they called "the 1%", and said that many in this group are not paying their fair share. The 1%, according to these folks, have rigged the system to the point that they can make millions of dollars and still pay lower tax rates than their secretaries.
The protesters, who said they were there to thank 99 people for every one they protested about, were also there to remind taxpayers, via a list they were handing out, what government does with the taxes it collects each year. It was a list that should make any taxpayer proud of the good they have done with their money. Among the things taxes pay for:
- Schools
- Libraries
- Medicare
- Medicaid
- Roads
- Police and fire protection
- Keeping 20 million+ people out of poverty
- Veterans’ benefits
- Food safety inspections
- Drug safety inspections
- Humanitarian aid
- Scientific research
- Medical research
- Technological research
- Children’s Health Insurance Fund
- National Archives
- National Parks
- State and local parks
- Vocational Education programs
- 911 and other emergency services
- Safe drinking water
- Criminal justice system
- Mail delivery
- State universities
- National monuments
- National weather service
- Traffic control and signage
- Standardized units of measurement
- G.I Bill
- Medevac helicopters
- Street cleaning
- Tornado warning systems
- Bridges
- Public restrooms
- Environmental protections
- Environmental clean up
- Building codes
- Smithsonian
- Library of Congress
- US Embassies
- Head Start
- Public housing
- Funding for the arts
- Amtrak
- Pell grants
- Social Security
- Energy research
- Community development programs
- Street lights
- Disaster response and relief
