One of the rallying cries of the Republican party that persuaded so many over the decades has always been fiscal responsibility and tax cuts. They have spent decades persuading voters that paying taxes is a terrible thing. They have claimed that bureaucracy is slow and wasteful. That the taxes people paid have been misappropriated. They have corrupted one of the most important things that a citizen can do for its nation. Pay taxes.

Paying taxes should be seen as a prideful act. This small action provides us with innumerable benefits that every single one of us benefits from.

The voting public has been lied to in an attempt to convince them they don’t receive anything from the taxes they pay. This, as most people should recognize, is a falsehood. From the roads we drive on, the water we drink, and the sewage that gets washed away to the security net that allows millions of Americans to retire every year. Taxes are the foundation that has allowed us to become the strong and comfortable nation that we are.

Taxes are the reason we have such a strong military that many Republicans idolize (while many others denounce.) Taxes are the reason we almost every child in this country has at least a cursory education. Taxes are the reason so many can pursue the careers that keep us safe and healthy, like every single doctor, nurse, and everyone else that helps and support them. Taxes are the reason your community has playgrounds for your children. Taxes are the reason so many farmers even have an income at all.