The theory I've created since being an expat is: The United States government spends an extraordinary amount of money on stuff that's not really tangible, ever

The theory I've created since being an expat is: The United States government spends an extraordinary amount of money on stuff that's not really tangible, everything from gargantuan military to corporate level subsidies and interest payments on debt. The ways taxes are now collected have shuffled the obvious burden to individuals earning more than about $640K per year in real wages. The United States has, for decades, ignored & postponed maintenance, repair, and upgrades to infrastructure like Water, Sewer, Roads, Bridges, Rail, Power, and Communication and public facilities like schools, parks, and libraries. The United States is not number one. Not in any of the important metrics about societies that actually matter to regular people. So, thinking about the average Joe who's paying way more than his parents did in taxes and what does he get for it in return? Not a lot that is visible or even desirable (after all, he's not yet retired and receiving any benefits from Social Security or Medicare) and meanwhile all those things that are desirable and/or visible are in a state of disarray, disrepair, or disrepute. Even the phrase "Good enough enough for government work" has been twisted into its opposite at this point. Overlay all that on to how obviously disconnected the American political system is from regular Americans and the end result is an alienation which manifested itself in folks not liking to pay taxes.