If you could decide exactly where your income taxes went, where would you choose to have them go towards?

I would let the elected government decide how to spend the money on infrastructure, help for the needy, defense, etc.

Everything except bailouts to wall street.

Good question and Welcome to Fluther!

I would want mine to go to education, infrastructure, a single payer universal healthcare program, scientific research, Social Security and foreign humanitarian aid.

What janbb said.

I would prefer my taxes go first toward healthcare, social security, education, infrastructure, and homeland security.

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Great Question. Welcome.

The Interstate system.

Police, fire, military, etc.

Education.

Solar power research.

Genetic research and some other medical research (I think this is not watched over well enough currently, too much money is wasted).

Socialized medicine.

Education, all the way. Specifically hiring more and better teachers in the inner city.

Good question and welcome to fluther!

Education, help for the poor, and healthcare.

I will let the President answer this one for me. When we were facing a Government shutdown just last month, he determined the military, law enforcement such as the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, Border Patrol. The Federal Aviation Administration, whose air traffic controllers are essential to keep airlines flying, will be on the job as well as the Postal Service. Social Security and Medicare. My only caveat would be “fixed” SS and Medicare programs. Preserve programs for the arts and higher education and give the rest pink slips.

@KatawaGrey why do you say “education, all the way”? (if you’re a teacher, or want to be, I think that’s totally rad) Do you say that because that is your only priority, or just your highest priority?

Back into my pocket.

PS: Welcome to Fluther with another interesting First Question.

@peterpiers: I think that if education was improved, a helluva lot of other stuff would follow. If we’re educating kids and giving them opportunities, they will be less likely to turn to crime. They will be more likely to be able to get a job and be off welfare. If money went to improve say, sex education in schools, there would be fewer unplanned pregnancies, which would mean fewer unwanted kids and continued opportunities for the underprivileged.

I’m not a teacher, but I think the state of public education in this country is swiftly declining.

I would want a small handful of people, who’s families have been very powerful for a long time, to take a third of the money that I earn working, another large percentage of everything I buy, and another large percentage on the property I “own,” and I would like them to build military bases in 130 countries, torture and drop bombs on innocent civilians, increase the amount of surveillance cameras, while digitizing our IDs, while groping us at the airport, and maybe tapping my phone and Internet connection before i arrive.

I would also like them to subsidize every kind of industry to help make things “affordable,” hire a private bank called the Federal Reserve to “control inflation” and “unemployment,” appoint Monsanto executives to “protect our food,” and nuclear industry execs to write regulations.

What taxes, @peterpiers? Federal income taxes, state income taxes, county personal/real property, local real/property, sales taxes, school taxes, capital gains taxes, cigarette tax, dog licenses taxes, payroll taxes, estate taxes, hotel/motel taxes, fuel taxes, communication taxes, food and clothing taxes, hunting and fishing license taxes, inheritance taxes, alcohol taxes, marriage license taxes, airwave taxes, social security taxes, buidling permit taxes, tarrifs, Federal Univeral Service Fee Taxes, Telephone Mininum Usage Surcharge Taxes, 911 taxes, TDD Telecommunication Service Fee Taxes, Toll Road Taxes, vehicle regitration taxes, airwave taxes…you know what I mean. Welcome to Fluther.

I would send my taxes to: healthcare, welfare, education, NASA, stem-cell research, colleges, our soldiers, veterans, funeral homes, hospitals, environmental engineering, wild-life preserves, etc…

@bkcunningham anything that falls into the category of being taken out of your initial paycheck.

@ddude1116 I thought NASA didn’t really exist anymore.. or is it just not funded by the government?

@peterpiers I honestly don’t know, that’s why it’s on my list..

I thought Mariah’s dream is to work at NASA?

Healthcare.

As usual, I’m with @janbb. Why don’t you run for president, penguin? I’d vote for you!

Me

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I only pay capital gains tax, so I don’t know if that counts, but I’d have that tax come right back in to my bank account.