I'm having trouble wrapping my head around your analogy so I'll think about it some more. One point not touched on before that you mention in your last line. That you don't agree how are taxes are spent. I don't either. There is an unfathomable amount of waste and corruption in our government. As I loose faith in our leadership, my thoughts on taxation are changing too, I don't like paying into a rat hole. I believe paying my share as I explained, but to a much lesser degree over the last eight or ten years. I have not felt represented as a citizen in our republic for a long time. Once long ago I felt our taxes were put to good use. I believe in Social Security and Medicare, and safety net programs to support the less fortunate. Now many in government would let those programs fail for lack of funding. It irritates me that we have tax dollars to waste waging a 20 year war in Afghanistan, but we can't find the funds to ensure the survival of Social Secuity. We can afford to bale out corporations that have made serious mistakes while we cut back on progrmas that keep kids from growing hungry. I don't see our governemnt solving any problems, rather they pospone doing anything beside squabbling with one another.

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One thing I think you should ask. as a younger taxpayer is why you are paying 13.4% of your income into Social Security when conservatives in our government threaten to privatize the program. It's is not like you are building equity for your retirement. Social Security is a pay as you go program meaning today's workers are funding today's retirees. The Social Security Trust Fund collects the difference between what's paid in through payroll taxes and what's paid out to retirees. In 2020 payroll taxes failed to meet retiree benefits so the trust fund made up the difference. At the present rate the trust fund will run dry in 2039 at which point conservatives would prefer to privatize the program