In Praise of Taxes

It's tax day and the marching morons at the Taxpayers League of Minnesota are protesting at the capitol. In the interest of creating some counterprogramming I'd like to list some of the things I've been glad to pay for with my taxes over the last year. Most of these organizations are federal but that's only because they are the ones with which I'm most familiar. And the large local expenses for education and transportation didn't go unnoticed.

Research and Development

• health care research: National Institute of Heath, Centers for Disease Control
• basic scientific research: National Science Foundation, National Institute of Standards
• weather forecasting: National Weather Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
• the internet, Global Positioning System: DARPA
• space science: National Space and Aeronautics Administration
• historical preservation: Smithsonian, Library of Congress
• statistical data collection: Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics
• geology and geography: United States Geological Survey

Public Safety and Protection

• military protection: Department of Defense
• police,fire,emergency services: Federal Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, Federal Emergency Management Association, and all of your local municipalities, counties, cities, and states
• food and drug regulations/protections: Food and Drug Administration, Department of Agriculture
• international relations and treaty negotiation: Department of State
• prisions: Bureau of Prisons
• the spooks: Central Intelligence Agency, National Reconnaissance Office, National Security Agency

Transportation

• air traffic controls: National Transportation Safety Board, Federal Aviation Administration
• the interstate system

Education

• higher education: University of Minnesota
• public education
• libraries: Hennepin County and just about every other county and city in the nation.

Business Environment

• Occupational Safety and Health Administration
• judicial branch of government: the Supreme Court, the Federal Court System
• intellectual property system: Federal Communications Commission, Patent and Trademark Office
• just about every kind of commercial law you can think of from the idea of corporations or limited liability to contracts to land use/zoning
• MONEY and the banking system
• Federal Trade Commission,
• Better Business Bureau

Environmental Protection

• parks, environmental protection: Department of the Interior, Bureau of Fish and Wildlife, National Park Service

Thanks Eric for the suggestions.