Line-Item Taxation Might be Way to Go

Hmm. How about line-item taxation? On your return, you check the things you are willing to pay for, and that is where your tax dollar goes.

Don't want to pay for Planned Parenthood? Don't have to. Don't want to pay for wars you don't support? Don't have to.

Now, this could be a dangerous thing. After all, can we just bounce programs in and out of existence? If the people choose to pay for a program one year, but squeeze it the next, then decide to spend on it again the third year, what happens? Say it is welfare, and one year the taxpayers give enough so everyone is funded, but the next year we not only have to lay off government workers, but we don't have enough money for all the welfare recipients, yet the criteria for who qualifies hasn't changed, so they are all equally qualified. So, which ones of them get the funding and which get left out?

But, though we can see some real problems, don't toss this novel little idea out. I still think it might (possibly)  have some merit. Maybe, we could buffer it, so only half your tax dollar goes where you want and the other half goes to ensure consistency. This would make us equal partners with our congresspeople: They appropriate half the money, and we appropriate the other half.

Now, the other problem that might come up is that government agencies might start advertising their services, reasoning they need to sell the public on what they do, or they are going to be out of jobs.

Guess we could outlaw that, though. We could say only the people and Congress (or the legislature, if it is a state) have the power to appropriate money for advertising.