Thank you Someday soon for adding some complexity to this discussion. I appreciate the respectful way you present your opinions.

If I lived in the US? I'd pay income tax because much of it still goes to important areas. I do not support the war spending but I would not feel it was ethical to pull out of taxes altogether. You see, at the bottom of it all is that little piece of bait saying, "I can have more money if I can think of enough reasons to justify to myself why giving that money to the government is evil." I would be voting for people who would spend that mone more ethically.

I don't think any of us are going to agree about the role of national government here because these are basic ways in which conservatives and liberals disagree, and I don't think any of us are about to shift our political stances any time soon. I would just say that there are good examples of national governments using tax money to look after citizens, here and elsewhere. I had to move away from the US to learn about them because the views I grew up with were very insular and generally unaware of what was going on in much of the rest of the world.

If the NHS pulled back from spending £££s on medications and prescribed more alternative therapies and vitamins, then I would be in wholehearted support. It can be a huge force for good if the right changes come about. Already you can get homeopathy and acupuncture on the NHS, so progress would appear to be slowly happening.

In the meantime, if any family member were suddenly taken ill for any reason, including my husband who is a walking heart attack waiting to happen despite my own best efforts, I'm glad I'd be able to get the medical care they'd need without worrying about whether insurance will pay.