Hasn't this frequently been used as a go-to talking point of xenophobic nationalists pretty extensively in the past? I'm not accusing you of expressing either xenophobic or nationalist sentiment, but don't we have a social responsibility to avoid legitimizing these types of highly divisive talking points?

Also, isn't there room for a middle ground here? I'd love to sign up to opt out of receiving any social security or medicaid benefits permanently for the rest of my life in exchange for a small tax credit or deduction, smaller than the amount I'd expect to receive out of these programs. What's the downside there, if I'm still paying in grossly more than I'm receiving in benefits, and could be liberating taxpayers from a financial responsibility to me that they already can't afford, and which I don't need? I'd prefer to be part of the solution to the deficit, but me leaving the country only exacerbates the problem, given that I pay in close to an order of magnitude more than I get back in return.

I'm anti-war and not a fan of the defense industry, shouldn't I be allowed to stay and express policy preference for less defense spending, even though I benefit from it?

We also cannot assume that everyone is drawing from collective infrastructure investment just because we're all forced to pay into it. Some people use well water, have their own microgrid that is disconnected from the public one, and go out of their way to only utilize private toll roads, private medical services, etc for ethical reasons. Shouldn't we at least give people the freedom of choice to opt out of taking from the collective pool of resources if they do not need to, and in turn, because their utilization is lower, offer them some form of limited incentive to do so, as long as they are still paying in more than they're getting out of the system, ultimately?

Is it fair to give gifts to people who did not ask for them or want them, and then expect the same sacrifices in return from the recipients, regardless of whether not these public services are even utilized or necessary?

> I'd love to sign up to opt out of receiving any social security or medicaid benefits permanently for the rest of my life in exchange for a small tax credit or deduction, smaller than the amount I'd expect to receive out of these programs.

And if you go broke and end up starving on the street, everyone else just needs to bear that cost either through watching you starve to death or by paying to feed you?

It turns out that in practice, the number of people who think they can achieve your proposed outcome is far, far higher than the number that actually does achieve it.

> I'd prefer to be part of the solution to the deficit, but me leaving the country only exacerbates the problem, given that I pay in close to an order of magnitude more than I get back in return.

Sure but you're not leaving the country because, like GP, you are aware you get far more value from your taxes in indirect services.

> shouldn't I be allowed to stay and express policy preference for less defense spending

Sure can! Vote.