Rethinking US Tax Dollar Allocation and Citizen Choice

Understanding US Tax Contributions and Spending

We all appreciate receiving a paycheck, the temporary comfort of financial stability. However, we often dread seeing taxes deducted. Some may ask, "Where do our tax dollars go?" They fund our military, healthcare, schools, public facilities, and more. Taxes, in essence, ensure American citizens contribute back to their country. However, some of these funds support areas that could be better utilized to benefit the nation's populace.

For instance, tax dollars support prisons housing dangerous criminals who benefit from these funds. Additionally, funds may support military actions you may not personally endorse. There are numerous organizations within this country deserving of support over funding dangerous criminals in our prison systems or engaging in conflicts that tear families apart.

Advocating for Tax Dollar Choice and Better Management

As stated, there are many causes this country could support instead of funding dangerous criminals, an oversized military force, or questionable IRS endeavors. Consider these statistics:

According to data from the Federal Bureau of Prisons:

• Drug Offenses account for 46.4% of prison populations.
• Sex Offenses account for 8.5%.
• Homicide, assault, and kidnapping Offenses account for 3.1%.

While these specific percentages might seem small compared to drug crimes, they represent leading offenses in our prisons today.

Military Budget Comparison

Our US military is twice the size of the world's next leading military power, Russia. Out of the US Congress's budget of $1.11 trillion, 53% was allocated to the military.

Questionable Expenditures

To highlight where some of your tax money went recently, consider these examples:

Past Spending Examples:

• The IRS reportedly spent $40M on Donald Trump's new hotel (Note: This claim requires verification from primary sources).
• $43M was allocated to build a gas station in Afghanistan (a few years ago, but noteworthy).
• $80M was spent by the Pentagon attempting to develop an Iron Man-like armored suit that ultimately failed.
• A reported $375,000 went towards understanding senior citizen dating.

There are many more instances of such spending. I encourage you to research further using reliable sources like "thefederalist.com," where some of this information was originally cited. We should entertain the thought of having a choice in where our tax dollars are directed and demand better management of funding towards truly important causes.