[billbears]

Flat income tax without the high personal exemption would have to be very low (as low as the poorer people can afford). As a result you would get state as weak as in Latin America.

And that's a bad thing why again? The federal government was intended to have few and specific powers, not massive overreach into the affairs of the citizens of the respective states. We could easily be rid of at least 10 useless Cabinet departments overnight

user fees for government services. This would be worse than poll tax.

In no way would it. I don't have children and yet I am required to support public schools. I don't go to the park and yet I am taxed to build parks. I don't use Medicare and yet I am taxed on that. Same with Social Security. If you use a service or plan to use the service, then you pay for it. Don't steal from my pockets to do so.

[A. Pole]

I don't have children and yet I am required to support public schools. [...] Don't steal from my pockets to do so.

Raising children is a very expensive hard task and a great sacrifice.

If you do not want or cannot to contribute to the most important objective (the very SURVIVAL of the society) you should pay MORE and not less!