Tax day is here again.
Like most average Americans, around 29 percent of my paycheck goes to income taxes. As a teacher, in such a costly city -- San Francisco is rated the world's second-most expensive city - ahead of New York and Tokyo -- I should probably be upset.
But you know what? I'm not.
I may not have a lot of extra money, but I don't mind paying for things I use every day. And I see my tax dollars at work all day long. From clean water to make my morning coffee, paved roads I drive, buses I take, health department food inspectors making sure my lunch is prepared hygienically, to police officers keeping my city safe while I sleep. And in my professional life as a public school teacher, every day I see the life-changing power of education, free to everybody, thanks to tax dollars.
Whenever I hear someone complaining about taxes, I wonder: Don't you drive across bridges, maintained by taxes? Do you fly in airplanes, guided by tax-funded air traffic control? Have you visited a national park or beach, funded by us, the taxpayers? And if your house were on fire, would you call the fire department, paid for by, yes, your tax dollars.