[jazzyk]

We pay taxes in the US as well :-) Maybe a bit less than in Europe, but we get very little in return (no subsidized daycare, no 30 days of vacation, etc). US tax revenue is mostly spent on maintaining all the 170+ military bases around the world, aircraft carriers, nuclear weapons, etc.

[beeboop]

60% of federal budget is social security, unemployment, medicare, and health spending. 16% is military. I think the bigger problem is that money spent in healthcare doesn't go nearly as far as it does elsewhere due to bloated healthcare costs.

[jazzyk]

True, but healthcare and unemployment, etc., as wasteful as they are, still improve my quality of life, while paying for defending rich countries like Japan or Germany, does not.

[beeboop]

>defending rich countries like Japan or Germany, does not

I am all for non-interventionist policies, but I am not so sure this is so black-and-white. There is definitely a benefit to protecting our allies and ensuring democratic societies remain as democratic as possible. The amount that it benefits you on a day to day basis is probably impossible to quantify, but there is definitely a benefit at a very high level, economically speaking.

[kgwgk]

What do you think is the relation between vacation days and taxes?

[jazzyk]

OK, you got me there - typed too fast. But, aside form taxes, if I wanted to take more time off, it only makes sense I should expect less pay, right?