Where did my taxes go?
Overall reaction to the tool
- Many like the clear, personalized visualization and say it makes abstract budget shares feel concrete, especially for defense spending and welfare programs.
- Some dislike the profanity in the domain and appreciate the promise of a “clean” mirror.
- A few note government already publishes some versions of this (IRS pie chart, UK HMRC taxpayer breakdowns), but they’re hard to find or unread.
Where taxes go: welfare, defense, interest
- Commenters highlight that federal spending is dominated by Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid/health, and “safety net” programs—over half when combined—leading some to call the US a very large welfare state.
- Others stress that interest on the national debt is now comparable to defense and major health programs, and see this as a large wealth transfer to bondholders.
- Defense spending is heavily criticized (wars, Middle East operations, Israel support, DoD’s failure to pass an audit) but also defended as underpinning global trade and including veteran healthcare and benefits.
Healthcare and welfare efficiency
- Multiple comments argue US public and private healthcare spending is extremely high per capita yet delivers worse outcomes and incomplete coverage.
- Some say much “welfare” money leaks into complex private, profit-seeking structures (insurers, hospitals, pharma, private equity) rather than beneficiaries.
- Others counter that major programs like Social Security, SNAP, Medicare, and Medicaid are relatively efficient administratively; the real problem is high underlying US medical costs and lifestyle disease.
Debt, deficits, and how federal finance works
- One camp views both parties as fiscally irresponsible, worries about debt servicing crowding out other spending, and wants a balanced or shrinking budget.
- Another camp invokes Modern Monetary Theory: federal spending is not strictly constrained by tax revenue; taxes mainly manage inflation, and deficits are a political, not hard, limit.
- A rebuttal points to the Treasury’s account at the Fed and argues that taxes and borrowing still matter for bank reserves and interest rates.
Control and democracy in budgeting
- A popular thought experiment: taxpayers get sliders to direct their own taxes among categories.
- Concerns include: voter ignorance of costs, departments wasting money on PR, rich taxpayers gaining disproportionate influence, underfunding unsexy essentials (debt service, infrastructure), and free-riding on programs like Social Security.
- Some suggest limited or symbolic control (e.g., directing a small fixed amount or a few percent to nonprofits) rather than full allocation power.
US vs other countries
- Several compare US spending and outcomes with European “social democracies” and Canada.
- Common view: the US already spends as much or more overall (especially on healthcare), but gets worse results due to fragmentation, lobbying, regulatory capture, and cultural factors; more money alone won’t fix it.