I would be open to paying higher taxes if I believed it would help address the deficit and debt (instead of just enabling more spending) and if I believed that the money was being well spent.

Earlier in my adulthood, I would happily vote for almost any tax or levy, because I had faith that that money was turning directly into societal good.

I have lost that faith. In the worst case, money seems to be grossly mismanaged (here is a local example from just last month: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/fallout-f...).

In other cases, it is going to real nonprofits that are tasked with solving problems that never seem to get better, no matter how much money is spent.

In yet other cases, the money goes to building transit (something else I was previously very bullish on), but that, once built, seems to be governed by principles of limitless permissiveness (an example from a few days ago: https://komonews.com/news/local/only-8-metro-fare-enforcemen...)

It's hard to feel invested in the programs that my taxes pay for when it doesn't feel like they reflect my values.

I am also from Seattle, and the fraud and waste in the Washington state government is horrifying. The Attorney General and governor are threatening independent journalists with prosecution if they investigate it.

And California, where I lived ten years, is even worse now.

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