I haven't been playing much attention to what has already been said, but I'll offer my opinion. Everyone hates taxes. They are essentially theft perpetrated by the government. But most people can understand they are necessary. No one wants to live without the services that are provided by tax dollars. We need roads, we need social programs like medicare and foodstamps, and we need healthcare (even if part of America disagrees). Almost everyone will agree we need these things, but the money has to come from somewhere. It makes sense that the people who benefit from these services be expected to chip in and help pay for them.
Libertarians and those of similar mindsets think the free market can provide all of these services and we don't need to rely on the government. But if that were true, why does the free market consistently fail to provide necessary services at a reasonable standard or cost? The answer is because the free market is ruled by how much money can be gained from these services and not by whats in the best interest of the people.
Take the internet for example. In the United States, there is no regulation of internet service despite the fact a reliable internet connection is becoming increasingly necessary to function in any sort of professional capacity. Because of the lack of internet standards, there are many areas in the United States that do not have access to high speed internet, a service that should be treated with the same priority as running water or electricity. The United States lags behind South Korea in internet access because South Korea actually has set standards in place while the United States does not. Internet service providers are free to be as substandard as they want in the United States because there are essentially no consequences for poor service. Many rural areas only have one choice of Internet provider so they can either stick with them or go without.
Source:
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/0...ref=technology
The difference is, South Korea had to get their shit together fast after the Korean War so it placed strict regulations on its corporations. Basically, they told them if they were a shit company, they wouldn't be a company any more. South Korea was so poor at this point in its history they couldn't afford businesses that only exist to screw over everyone that wasn't the CEO of the company. These strict regulations worked and now South Korea is a major economic power.
Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_South_Korea#Rapid_growth_from_1960s_to_ 1980s
What some people don't seem to understand is that we are more free because we pay taxes. A bit of extra money doesn't do anyone any good if there are no roads to travel on or no safety net to help them if they have a life threatening disease they can't afford to treat. Is a bum living on the streets anyone's idea of freedom? We owe our high standard of living to the fact that taxes pay for essentials. If anyone has a better idea of how we can maintain this standard of living without taxes I have yet to hear it.