Tribute to taxes.(The Providence Journal)

Now that most people have bitterly filed their federal tax returns, I thought (partly because we just got our state income-tax refund) that I'd mention some good things about taxes, as byzantine and badly organized as they are in America.

Americans, particularly rich Americans, should be thankful for taxes. After all, they pay for a system that formally recognizes and protects private property and provides the services (police, research, education, roads, fire, education, etc.) without which it would be very difficult to attain and maintain wealth, let alone physical security.

The assertion that the government "steals" money from people through taxes is ...