1862: Progressive income taxes, i.e. high-income earners subsidize low-income earners.
So some citizens are required to pay more than other citizens? Most citizens pay less or even nothing at all, so of course they will vote for the taxes sponsor. This leads to taxation without representation. Taxes should be at the local level and not at the federal level to help keep representation fairer and weaken the power of the federal government and strengthen the states government independence.
1870: Free elementary education
Has evolved to expensive inefficient propaganda system. If a parent wants to educate their child by other than the state sponsored system they have to pay twice. Once through a government mandated tax and again to the chosen education. Freedom?
1935: Social Security
I forget the exact numbers but 40+ years ago I read that if the person put the same amount into a savings account at just 1% interest through their lifetime instead of Social Security they would end up with 3-8 times the amount they would get from SS. At that time a saving account was paying 5% interest. Once again I had no choice in the matter except pay the government mandated SS tax.
1938: Farm subsidies
This was initially a capitalist based system with aspiring entrepreneurs. Now government has given us great things like ethanol and don’t grow anything this year and the taxpayer will pay you.
1965: Medicare
Another system the politicians have forced upon us. I pay more now on Medicare than I ever did on medical before. We have experienced the tighter and tighter regulation noose to jump thru to qualify for reimbursement of the funds paid for years into the system. Get sick get into the hospital and before Medicare part A will pay. A person has to spend three nights in a Medicare bed. The number of Medicare beds get smaller and smaller. At least that is what we have been told multiple times as our elders fell ill. As we ran around the hospitals administrators offices trying to determine if our loved one is in a “Medicare” bed. Adding to our grief. Great!