No one wants to give up their slice of the pie. Every one wants less taxes, but they don't want to do it if it hurts their own neighborhood or causes us to actually realize that life is not a guarantee of comfort.
1 out of 7 people in this country without insurance. OK, how many of those are people who willfully refuse to get insurance?
In my state we are dealing with a property tax crises. We have seen property taxes go up anywhere from 10% to 400%. Yes, Four hundred percent. Property taxes pay for the "poor" to be helped in my state. It also pays for schools and libraries.
How many schools have pools, bleachers, locker rooms, and other facilities that have absolutely nothing to do with the ability to do math or develop critical thinking skills? Why are we spending more on jocks while losing PE programs?
Property taxes pay for local poor relief. Why am I paying so much for "poor" people to refuse to; go to school, quit smoking, get sterilized after their 2nd or 3rd kid, give up the cable, cell phone and fast food? Before all of you who want to post telling me your own sad story and what an evil woman I am for even speaking thusly; for every person with a true story of circumstances beyond their control there are probably at least 2 or 3 families on welfare/food stamps/ emergency utilities relief that can dam well get out and make their own way in the world without robbing me blind.
Effective police would be a lot more effective if people were more polite to each other. We have become a society of whiners, calling the cops at every opportunity because someone has loud music, or the neighbors won't lock up their dogs, or the kids down the street are yelling while I'm trying to listen to Bach. Save the calling of police for when you really need them, like when you have just shot the intruder/rapist/child molester and you need someone to come clean up the scene. Take care of yourselves and don't depend on others to do it for you.
Paying for books to be kept in a library that have shelves, good lighting and environmental control like heat and air conditioning. Atriums, auditoriums, and fancy tile work do not help anyone to enjoy a good story any more than a comfy old couch does.
We have lost our way and we want the community to pay for it. We have become a nation of whiners who expect all and want to give nothing. No wonder the rest of the world has nothing but contempt for us. Even the poorest of our poor live better than people in many other countries. But those who don't have to be poor (those who quit school, make babies they can't afford, spend what small earnings they have on "wants" and let the others supply their "needs")are sucking the life out of the rest of us.
Those of us who get up everyday and not only go to work to EARN our money but work at home taking extra classes, shoveling snow, mowing grass, painting, cooking, cleaning, and all the other things that we do to keep ourselves from relying on others should not have to be forced to the point of homelessness to take care of those who don't care any more about me than they do themselves. Imagine if I paid my mortgage but not my property taxes? I'd be homeless AND in court. Get rid of property taxes and stop enabling people to live as if they have no responsibility to take care of themselves on our dime.