> A perfect world would have people writing a check for their entire annual tax just before stepping into the voting booth.
That would definitely be a horrible idea. No, I won't vote for drivable roads because I just payed my taxes, potholes be damned. And afterwards complain about the potholes anyway.
I think most people would still vote for drivable roads, and that there are a lot of government policies that could be eliminated before drivable roads are even on the table.
There are places in US where the firefighters won't respond to a fire in buildings where owners haven't specifically paid the bill for their own coverage, because the local voters like it that way (those that haven't had their house burn down while the coverage lapsed, anyway).
My experience in Omaha suggests drivable roads get sacrificed much sooner than one might expect. (And no, not for something nice like bike paths or even like, functional sidewalks.)
> No, I won't vote for drivable roads because I just payed my taxes, potholes be damned.
I honestly think the issue would instead be people not wanting to pay for the public service pensions for the former pothole-fillers.
I never said you don’t get to vote if you don’t pay your taxes. Nor that you have to pay taxes to vote.
I’m saying those that do pay taxes should have the totality of the amount of their income that is going to the government in mind when they head to the polls.