Being cynical, if you do not want to take part of a modern society, remove yourself from it and live completely on your own. You will achieve complete authonomy and have full power over your resources. But you, individually, will be fully responsible for yourself and your needs.

There was a couple of failed experiments of fully libertarian towns and all failed miserably. I'll update this reply if I can find some articles on it.

Now, for your concern with the infamous ballroom: there should be a proper addressing of the situation, with publicly accessible and auditable proposals for the alteration, renewal or expansion of a public building and people should be able to voice their concerns about such matters. Which is not the case at hand.

The waste and innapropriate use of public funds emerges from a system - and it exists everywhere! - that allows polititians to act unconcerned of immediate consequences of their actions. If people in public offices had the threat of ousting for failling to comply with their functions, in a hasty fashion, little abuse would happen. Instead, we get "representative" democracy with its election cycles.

The system itself is wrong, not taxation. Taxation accrues funds to develop services that hold a civilization functional that otherwise would be completely off limits for an individual to access.

[–] thisisbutaname@discuss.tchncs.de 24 points 2 weeks ago

Because someone else's taxes go to things they don't use but you do.

It's more efficient to pool the money and then distribute it as needed among services and more.

If you want the government to shift priorities in funding, that's what voting and participating in politics is for.

[–] Tolookah@discuss.tchncs.de 11 points 2 weeks ago

Many things taxes go to are for the public good. Things like better education and roads bring up the community as a whole and makes it a better place to live overall.

Taxes to pay for the Epstein ballroom? Not so much.

[–] Lumidaub@feddit.org 10 points 2 weeks ago

Taxes are your contribution to a functioning society, they're meant to be used for things that should, in theory, benefit everybody in some way. You "use" schools in so far as the people who go there are the ones who later use their education to provide you with goods and services. Of course one might argue that taxes are frequently used for complete bollocks (cf ballroom) but that's part of what living in a society is: constant negotiation about how to use the resources that are available to the group. Not everybody is going to agree what the best use is.

[–] Dindonmasker@sh.itjust.works 3 points 2 weeks ago

You give money to governments sometimes to fix things you like and other times to look good and make deals that will lead to more money and better things for you. I won't put the ball room in the second camp. The US is lead by monkeys throwing poop and fucking each other and kids. With them your money is spent on things that make things worse for you.

[+] hoohoohoot@fedinsfw.app -10 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

Taxation is theft.

Governments are built on theft and violence and theats of life

[–] Rhaedas@fedia.io 5 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Yes, they should do all the things they do for free.

Improper taxation and misuse of taxes are theft is more realistic, but it's not as catchy a slogan for a sign, and requires some thinking instead of just feeding off a person's emotion.

[–] Danitos@reddthat.com 3 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

How do you suggest we pay for public services instead?

[–] hoohoohoot@fedinsfw.app 1 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

OBVIOUSLY

We are already paying for it.

Im asking to make EVERYTHING - VOLOUNTARY

with rape, abuse and manipulation we cant really enjoy life

There are 2 options:

Donation-basee
Capitalist and selfish record keeping
Secret (read at the end)

For the 2. Option not all services can keept records, but some that are most important and that can: hospitals, ER, police, firemen.

Both have problems

Might not be profitable and thus people might not do a good job or might even refuse helping some
You didnt have money to pay and/or didnt want to pay, you dont get services mentioned above.

The 3rd secret option:

Live and receive family+friends and/or community help, but you most likely also have to return it.

[–] VeryVito@lemmy.world 1 points 2 days ago

You should be really proud of your family and community. I think mine is pretty great, too, but nobody in my family or circle of friends knows how (or is otherwise able) to treat cancers, stop diseases, create common weights and measures by which to standardize trade with other people and communities, defeat invading armies, warn of impending natural disasters or ensure the safety of foods, drinks, buildings, cars, etc.

Fortunately, they don’t have to worry about this kind of thing, though, because thanks to the buying power afforded by pooled taxes, responsible governments usually take care of these for waaay less than most of us could ever afford to pay.