Taxpayer Dollars: What services should we fund?

As it turns out, the best things in life aren’t free. The question is, who should pay for them?

Some Americans might say that what the government pays for reflects societal values. Others argue that what we support through charities and the free-market better reflects what our society prioritizes and values.
In this meeting we’ll explore as many services and funding perspectives as we can. We will consider questions such as:

• How should we as citizens fund services we value?
• Does how we fund something coincide with how much we value it?
• If a case could be made that reactive spending pertaining to a societal issue will be more costly than upfront expenditures to address it, would that influence your opinion as to whether or not to fund a program to address the issue?
• What information and perspectives should guide our funding decisions?
• Are there items that should be left to for-profits or not-for-profits to fund instead of using taxpayer dollars?

(This topic was selected by CPL Members through our #VirtualDemocracy Poll! -- Thank you to all who participated)

Pre-read Material:

• Your Federal Income Tax Receipt--Where did the federal government spend all the money you paid in income taxes for the tax year?
  (https://www.nationalpriorities.org/interactive-data/taxday/)
• Republican Views on Spending (https://www.republicanviews.org/republican-views-on-spending/)
• Democratic Views on Spending (https://www.republicanviews.org/democratic-views-on-the-federal-budget/)
• The quick guide to America political parties stances on government spending
  (https://www.isidewith.com/political-parties/issues/economic/government-spending)
• How Are My State Taxes Spent?
  (https://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tips/state-taxes/how-are-my-state-taxes-spent/L3QgHAO7H)

Join the Crossing Party Lines discussion and have a voice in our Nation’s Conversation! People of all views are welcomed, appreciated, and heard.

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