Under-utilized Government
In some cases, the fruits of our taxation can't really be utilized. I can't get at Social Security funds yet, but I can take some solace in knowing that my elderly or disabled neighbors & family members can benefit from my taxation. I may not be able to go to a public high school any longer and I may not have any children yet, but still, the community & nation benefits greatly from my property taxes anyway.
Even with the parts of government I can't directly access yet, everywhere I look in my neighborhood, I see underutilized public amenities and services. Thanks to Budget and the Beach's post, I am reminded to look around at my surroundings and realize all that my community has to offer. A lot of the best parts, I'm realizing, are funded by our taxes and accessible by anyone. Here are some great, random things I can take advantage of today:
- Parks and playgrounds, with dozens just a walk or bike ride away
- I can take in a football game at the local high school
- I can sign up for classes at a community college or state university to build my skill set
- I can participate in the programs my local government puts on: recreation basketball, softball, kickball, and flag football leagues...also, there are more pragmatic things like shredding my sensitive documents, free of charge.
- Like Phoebe at AllYouNeedIsEnough notes, I can go to my local libraries for free books and DVDs. And not just the library closest to me; the one in the next town or state over will send me a book, again, for free!
- Roads. My tax dollars pay for all these sweet, smooth roads. I can get out there and ride on them and appreciate the wonder that is our system of completely paved highways & streets connecting just about any two points I'd ever want to visit, with stoplights and stop signs and a dozen other helpful signs and freaking concrete paved sidewalks along both sides...
- Hell, that's its own point: I can take a walk on a sidewalk around my neighborhood and see it at the optimal pace: walking speed
- I can visit or camp in a huge network of stunningly beautiful national & state forests for a mere pittance
- I can send anything that fits in a box or envelope, with remarkable reliability, anywhere in the flipping world, through US Postal Service, still at a fraction of the cost of UPS or FedEx. And they'll come to my house to pick up packages and drop them off, five days a week! What kind of crazy pampered life is this?
- Edit: Here are some more to add to the list:
- Public Radio and Television. PBS & NPR have some of the very best programming around (my favorites are This American Life, the Freakonomics Podcast, & Car Talk), and maybe the coolest business model, too. Lean partially on tax dollars so everyone chips in a little, but then depend on the kindness of voluntary donations to stay solvent. And then the crazy part happens: people give!
- If I witness a crime, a fire, or get hurt just about anywhere in our entire country, I can call a single number and trained professionals will come sirens a blazing to rush care my way.
Sunk Costs and Frugality
Still, I can imagine some readers remain unconvinced by these observations, feeling that our current system of taxation is a bad deal for them, and they pay more in than they'll ever get out. Here in Arizona, I call these people "every one of my neighbors". Even if this list of totally rad activities and services isn't convincing, there's not a lot you or I can do about the taxes that fund them. We can vote, but our taxes are a sunk cost -- that money is gone and lost forever. Hell, in most cases, I never even saw the money.
But who cares? Like Snark Finance says, complaining is the worst. No matter what my political leanings are or how I feel about the way I'm taxed, it still makes sense to get out there and enjoy the fruits. So get out there and chill with Uncle Sammy. It's fun!
*Photo is from olo81 at Flickr Creative Commons.
If you can't beat em, join em right! :) I love libraries! Even though I'm super guilty of not reading enough, my local library is 1.5 blocks away, and it's a great refuge when the weather gets too hot in my apt, or I just need to relax. Libraries are SO relaxing. I do see a lot of under utilized parks too, but I think around here it's not too bad because the weather is pretty good year round. I guess where you are too right? One thing I want to do more of is find a local swimming pool, preferably one that is outside.
ReplyDeleteI forgot to mention pools! Our city has a bunch of public pools that are super sweet (complete with slides, high dives, and free weight gyms) and only cost $2 per day.
DeleteThanks for commenting and for your original post, too!
Yeah it is really worth to see how you can use your money paid via tax instead of complaining. Good list mate
ReplyDeleteThank you, Samgill. I figure we've already "spent" the money...might as well make the most of it.
DeleteI LOVE this post! I don't really understand the whole "government is evil" thing that so many people seem to be caught up in these days. The way I see it, government is just us. It's like we as a society have decided that for some things it's much more efficient to pool our resources than to have every man for himself. And it bugs me to no end that people end up using these pooled resources every day but fail to realize that this is government and tax dollars at work! The one that really made me laugh was during the whole health care debate craziness. I saw a person holding a sign - in all seriousness - that read "NO socialized medicine! And Hands Off of My Medicare!" Oh my!
ReplyDeleteIt's not that I'm always in agreement with how our tax dollars are spent - I sorta think that the billions that we shell out to fund corn and petroleum are ridiculous, but there is recourse here... it's called voting!
Anyhow, I'm so appreciative of the many things that my society provides for me. I get clean water to drink and reasonably clean air to breathe. I can call 911 if I have an emergency and people come rushing in to save me. I get to ride on hundreds of miles of beautiful bike paths, and have a world of free entertainment at my fingertips with the library system. And even though I am childfree by choice, I appreciate the fact that I get to live in an educated society where literacy is generally taken for granted and ignorance is a matter of choice not a fate to which on is consigned by birth.
Anyhow, thanks for the reminder, this is a great post!
Thanks for the thoughtful comments, EcoCatLady. You've brought up two huge ones I forgot: emergency services and healthcare. It's remarkable that we have access to either...let alone both.
DeleteI never bemoan taxes - having lived in a place where there are NONE, I know that it's hard to keep things maintained - namely roads. There were no parks. No public housing, or healthcare. Everything was aid dollars, or privately funded, and it wasn't ideal.
ReplyDeleteEvery time I walk into the library, I think 'wow, those rates are worth every penny!'
I've never lived in a place like that, but I can imagine how different it would be try to hack it without any government programs. Just not having roads, alone, would dramatically change everything I tried to do.
DeleteI think my husband gets our money's worth at the library! The parks, too, sometimes!
ReplyDeleteHooray parks! What a rad idea they are: create a green space with fun stuff to play on, benches to sit on, tables to eat & drink at, and then make it available to anyone who wants to come by. Genius stuff there.
DeleteYou have forced me to think about the way you save money....ow seam
ReplyDeleteThanks, forryshaa!
DeleteGreat list! I need to do more things on this list.
ReplyDeleteMe, too! I've already thought of more to add, too...time to edit.
DeleteGreat list! Rather than complaining about taxes, we should take advantage of the things that those taxes provide. It's amazing how much more affordable public resources are compared to the private ones. My friend just joined the NYC Parks and Recreation gym and pool which is $150 for the year. Much much more expensive for a private gym with a pool. And for sure, I thank god for the 911 emergency service that the government provides!! Had to use that last week and they were quick on the scene.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Andrew! I agree that there are some fantastic, often unbeatable deals to be had as a result of our public resources.
DeleteAnd congratulations again on your baby! I'm always so happy to hear about people adding to their families: I can only imagine how joyous and humbling it feels.
I agree completely. I call the fire fighters and police to my house all the time just to make sure I am getting my money's worth.
ReplyDeleteAnd the safety's free if you have to wait more than 30 minutes.
DeleteThis may be the most positive tax-related post I have ever read haha. It's true there are a lot of things that our tax dollars fund that we can utilize, and that's definitely a positive approach to taxation. I think there is a difference between people who complain and don't do anything about it versus those who complain and take action to try to alleviate their complaint (i.e. someone who says taxes are too high and goes out and campaigns for a candidate looking to lower them). It's easier to just complain, though.
ReplyDeleteTrue. I appreciate those who will back up their words with action, even if we have different beliefs.
DeleteI love the library, roads, and NPR! Sure there is some waste in government, but that's always going to be the case. We live in one of the most prosperous nations on the planet, and I think it's worth recognizing that from time to time.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely. We're blessed to live here. And who doesn't love NPR? I'm still blown away by radio technology. News and songs that come flying through waves in the air, and then through a speaker! Crazy.
DeleteTaxes are what they are. You can vote, but beyond that it's best to just accept the way it is. We've been taking advantage of the numerous amounts of free parks and beaches near us as the weather has gotten warmer. It's been great. And I definitely love me some NPR!
ReplyDeleteHooray NPR! It's an awesome thing.
DeleteI have to be honest though: I'm a freeloader. I've only donated once and that was years ago. I'll have to write a post about that someday: the dynamic of paying voluntarily for something you can get for free, as long as a certain number of people donate.
For all the bitching that people at extreme ends of the political spectrum do, I think that we live in a great place. It's not perfect, but nothing ever is. The National Park system is just spectacular.
ReplyDeleteHell yeah we live in a great place. America's awesome.
DeleteMy buddy and I are doing like CashRebel wrote about, and hiking to Shenandoah National Park in about a month. It's great that we have places like that protected & maintained.
Done by Forty I think people have to woo is me complex. It doesnt seem like they enjoy their money if everyone else is using it. Place like the library and parks for example. People just look at them like they are suppose to be there. Well enjoy them and know that you help pay from them. Would you help pay for a house and not visit or sleep there or even try to sell to make some money at least? So quick to complain about what they dont have they fail to see and use the things they do. I have been apart of it too and know that complaining gets you no where. People forget about the safety and security we have. We are blessed a lot of people come to the US for the things we take for granted.
ReplyDeleteI agree that we take a lot for granted. It's understandable since it seems that's a natural human reaction: when we get something new we appreciate it for a while but it quickly becomes normal, and then expected. I've been trying to combat that process by taking Tonya's (at Budget at the Beach) advice and expressing gratitude for the things I have.
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