NeetaT: the problem isn’t high taxes — the problem is that Americans don’t get much back for their taxes compared to other developed countries. Shit infrastructure, shit public transport, shit education in many areas, shit healthcare unless you can afford very expensive private insurance.

California also pays more to DC than it gets back. Yeah, state vs Federal taxes, but if the money were kept in the state vs being squandered in Afghanistan, Iraq, and God knows where else, it would improve the situation.

And frankly, both parties have been guilty of being pro mass incarceration and pro perpetual war. The only hope may be the radical wing that’s starting to develop in the Democratic Party that supports spending money on actually useful things (see above), not welfare for defense contractors and private prison holding companies.