I found this site that a lot of folks on this board should use to understand government spending.

It really annoys me that we continue to get into these arguments on taxation vs. frivolous government spending, and we over-generalize way too much without talking about facts. Here's the reality folks:

Our collective state and local governments are spending 25% more than they actually have. Since state and local governments can't print money, I'll let you guess where the issue on over-spending lies.

That being said, we can't continue to do this forever. We will spend 35% more this year on paying the interest on government debt than we will on SNAP and Unemployment insurance. Because former administrations on federal, state, and local levels, and as an extension - because we voted for these idiots, we are responsible too. But nobody knows because the information isn't widely discussed, we're more interested in whether or not Trayvon was a thug or american idol.

So to level set on the taxation discussion, and the ludicrous discussion that people that are unhappy with the current taxation system are ignorant of how much roads, police, fire, and education cost - here it is:

Total government spending (across the board, Federal, State, Local): $6.5 Trillion fricking dollars

Education: $0.985 Trillion
Police/FBI etc;: $0.125 Trillion
Fire protection: $0.044 Trillion
Prisons: $0.087 Trillion
Public Safety Inspections: $0.015 Trillion
Roads / Transportation: $0.285 Trillion

Total for basic infrastucture $1.54 Trillion

That is 23% of total fricking government spending. So get you facts straight when you generalize about taxation. The other 77% should be up for discussion.

/rant