Seriously, shut up. The amount of taxes we have to pay is ridiculous. Let me lay it out for ya, son. I work hard all week and earn a salary, which comes in a biweekly paycheck. But before I see a cent of it, the federal government takes its share. Depending on your income bracket, they take 10–37% of that right off the top. Then, it gets taxed again at 15.3% for FICA: 12.4% gets stolen for Social Security and 2.9% goes to Medicare. Then depending on which state you live in, you might be required to pay state income tax. States like Florida and Tennessee have none, some have a flat rate (e.g., Idaho and Georgia), and others have progressive rates based on income brackets. In California, high income earners take a 13.3% hit. Then after the federal and state governments have gotten their greedy hands on my paycheck, suppose I decide to be responsible and save a portion of what's left in a savings account and earn a little interest on it. Guess what? The IRS wants a cut of that, too. So, the money I earned that was already taxed is now subject to the same income taxes. Let's now suppose I decide to invest some of that in the stock market. I buy shares in a company (e.g., Tesla), take on the risk of losing my investment, and hopefully make a profit. Well, if I sell those shares for a gain, Uncle Sam comes knocking on my door again. Depending on how long I held the investment and my taxable income, I may owe 0%, 15%, or 20% in federal long-term capital gains taxes, potentially another 3.8% in net investment income tax, plus applicable state taxes. And short-term gains can be taxed at the ordinary income tax rates of 10–37%. And if I decide to spend my money? You guessed it. More taxes, baby! 45 states and many localities impose sales taxes, meaning I get taxed again when I buy groceries, clothes, household appliances, consumer electronics, and practically anything else. In some places, the combined state and local sales taxes exceed 10%. Louisiana's sales tax alone is 10.11%! Wanna buy a house with the money you have spent years saving? Congratulations, bucko! Now you're responsible for paying property taxes, which you will be obligated to pay every single year. And if you fail to pay it for long enough, you will eventually lose the property through a tax sale or foreclosure. So much for actually owning something, right? Wanna buy a vehicle? Depending on your state, you may owe sales tax and annual registration fees. And in some states (my home state of Virginia comes to mind), you are required to pay property taxes on that, too. Then, every time you fill up your tank at the pump, you have to pay gas taxes. The federal government collects $0.18 / gallon, and state and local governments pile their own taxes on top of that. Now, suppose I decide not to spend or invest any of my remaining money at all. I just keep it in cash. Well, inflation gradually erodes its purchasing power away year after year. It's not an enforced tax, but a hidden one that the federal government has done nothing to stop because we're no longer on the Gold Standard and we run massive deficits each year that is financed by monetary expansion (i.e., “printing”) to pay for socialist welfare and wealth transfer programs as well as endless wars in the Middle East. The bottom line is that I get taxed when I work hard and earn money. I get taxed again on the interest when I save that money. I get taxed a third time on the profits when I invest it. I get taxed when I spend it. I get taxed for “owning” property. And I get taxed when I drive. And yes, I'm much aware that we need at least some taxation to pay for things like national defense, public roads, and basic services to have a functioning society. Nobody really disagrees with that. But it does not mean every tax is justified or that the government should have an unlimited claim on the fruits of our labor. And if you look at the state of our roads in many states (Pennsylvania and New York's roads suck ass, Alabama's are nice, however) and public schools, it's abundantly clear that our tax dollars aren't being used wisely. Our founding fathers waged a revolution against Great Britain over far less atrocities than this.

It really amazes me how many alleged “conservatives” tell me that we need to raise taxes to pay down the national debt instead of cutting spending because “cutting spending will never happen.” I’ll concede that they are right about the latter (mostly because we can no longer get a supermajority and Republicans are almost unanimously spineless cowards), but that doesn’t mean I think that tax rates should be hiked. If you are for higher taxes, then you aren’t a conservative, and I don’t care if we agree on 99% of other issues.