Mike Riggs on Three Horrific Activities Your Tax Dollars Are Funding
When's the last time you heard someone argue that we need to raise taxes to fund torture? Or to pay for violent paramilitary raids on peaceful U.S. citizens? Or to incentivize extrajudicial killings carried out by our own government, yes, but also by a neighboring country? Probably never. As every good citizen knows, taxes are for taking care of the poor and the indigent, paying (good) teachers and (good) cops, investing in the future, and making sure the elderly have enough Viagra and cat food to fuel 25 years of post-workforce bingo, golf, and unprotected sex. But it's also the case, writes Mike Riggs, that your taxes (and his) pay for unquestionably vile things. If you're finishing up your taxes today, you should know that the U.S. will spend $14.7 billion of next year's $25.4 billion drug control budget on government-sponsored violence; which means that your tax dollars—even if it's just a fraction of a cent—will make possible acts of state-sponsored terror, torture, and murder. Happy tax day!