Money for nothing

This chart, in my opinion, understates the case. I can only assume it notes the U.S. Federal Tax burden. Unlike other unitary states, however, our federal system has multiple levels of government, each with their hand out. I'm certain if you live in Taxachussets or Cali-fork-it-over, your total tax burden is greater than 25%.

And what do we get for all that money? Crumbling infrastructure. Pork over productivity. Ineffective disaster response. And above all these days, war without end.

I'm not a fan of corporate media these days, but I greatly sympathize with Thomas Jefferson's sentiment: "Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter." Substitute bloggers for newspapers, and I think you have a passable 21st Century update.

I still have my tax returns... too bad they're not a receipt, so I can demand a refund. Consider that the next time you compare the public and private sectors.