Everybody wants to keep their pet program, but they aren't willing to have their taxes raised to pay for it.

Having spent some serious time in Europe, I always find myself stifling laughter every time I hear somebody complain about how "over-taxed" Americans are. I laugh out loud when South Carolinians complain about their "record" tax load, particularly after the Legislature cut already low (compared to other states) property tax rates by over a quarter and eliminated the sales tax on groceries.

The same people don't hesitate to complain, though, that they aren't getting everything from government that they deserve...