... but you probably don't care enough to find out.

Taxes can be quite deceptive. If you live in the United States, then you should take just a few moments to realize how much of your paycheck actually goes to support government programs.

Learn how tax brackets work. Know the exact percentage of your individual income that goes to the government. Here's a simplified tax bracket calculator.

Social security and medicare taxes are withheld in addition to the income tax you pay. Learn what percentage of your income goes toward this. For most people, this is over 7% of your gross income.

Of course, your employer also has to pay "their share" of your social security and medicare tax. This is yet another 7% of your gross income. (Take a moment to wonder if you'd get paid more if this wasn't the case, or if your company would be more likely to succeed with more capital investment. Or both.)

Don't forget about state income tax rates. What percentage do you pay?

And there is sales tax, of course. Make a ballpark guess at how much you spend in a year on taxable goods. How much of that goes to a state sales tax?

Home-owner? Then you should know what you owe every year in property tax.

You're not safe if you die, either, so don't assume your assets will go to supporting your loved ones... unless your loved ones are government programs. You should find out how much would go to the death tax in the event of your demise. (Hint: it's probably way higher than you think.)

Still with me? Fantastic. Take all your numbers together, and figure out what percentage of your paycheck goes directly--or indirectly--to support government programs. Take a magic marker and write that number in big numerals somewhere you'll see it every single day.

Think about it every time you spend money. Think about it every time you work a long shift. Think about it when you see a stupid (but expensive) government expenditure. Most importantly, think about it when you vote.

Of course, it's a little hard to get accurate figures. The United States tax code is 24MB of text, 3.4 million words, somewhere around 7500 pages. If that doesn't strike you as overcomplicated, obscene, and intentionally divisive, then you are fucking high.

So what's a better solution? I've got my own opinion. Do some research and form yours.

Don't be content! Chances are, you are effectively working through the end of Spring every year just to support United States government programs.