[sowbug]

The question is similar to why we vote. Individually, my vote is meaningless. Collectively, our votes move the needle.

Things rarely turn out exactly the way any individual wants, but that's the nature of any collective action -- taxes, voting, picking a restaurant to eat at, etc.

[Test0129]

If this was true we could survey the United States and approximately match the tax allocations.

Medicare is not a well-liked system by almost anyone on it. Gen X, Millennials, and now Zoomers see no purpose in social security (they most likely won't get it). Military tax consumption is insane. The federal law enforcement agencies take quite a bit too.

I'd imagine when surveyed Americans would generally be negative on most, if not all, of these. Yet, for some reason they allocate to these things. Is this the "collective action" you are supposing exists? Because it sure sounds like theft-by-fiat to me.

[deepsquirrelnet]

I don’t “like” any of the half dozen insurances I pay for, but I still pay for them. What do you call that?

[macinjosh]

Voting is a choice and is free. Taxes are neither. I hardly see how the two are similar.

[kelseyfrog]

Living in any state with a monopoly on violence isnt free. What's your point?