>I'm not equivocating at all. People use the term punish when they feel like they've been punished. I'm trying to figure out why people immediately think they a

>I'm not equivocating at all. People use the term punish when they feel like they've been punished. I'm trying to figure out why people immediately think they are being punished by taxation somehow completely forgetting the police and fire protection, nice roads, pretty parks, clean water, etc. that comes along with it. Taxes are not a punishment, they are an admission ticket to society. You usually purchase an admission ticket without being coerced to do so. Tax forms are filled with threats about what will happen if you do not comply. So while "punish" may not be the right term, it isn't anything like an admission ticket.