[yaok]

>everyone wants good public services but low taxes.

Everyone??

Typical right-winger: I want low taxes and don't care about public services (although naturally I'd prefer public services to no services).

Typical left-winger: I want public services and don't care about low taxes (although naturally I'd prefer low taxes to high taxes).

[philwelch]

Normal voters aren't ideologues, they're self-interested human beings.

[yaok]

Agreed. My point is just that each person tends to favor one or the other.

In truth, it's a false dichotomy for everyone except the super-rich. People could have both low taxes and good social services if they would be willing to tax the super-rich to the same extent that we did so back in, say, 1950.

[philwelch]

Hell, even 1985. 91% tax rates probably aren't good policy regardless of the bracket.