The tax rates distort the actual amounts paid and the disparity. I paid over $80k in federal taxes last year. It's likely due to my age I'll never see the "safety net", and likely won't need it due to prudent financial planning, and I'd much rather pay $20k directly to defense, and $30k to an impoverished family as scholarships or other economically viable private assistance and $30k to support my parents than have it be mismanaged by the government. I think most folks would rather directly help others and take care of their own families than have that role be subsumed by the govt. government has taken over the role of personal responsibility. My parents invested in me, it's my job to pay them back, as it was for hundreds of years before social security.
My dad went on SS this year, we had a talk, in his life he contributed roughly $150k (net present value) to SS including employer contributions, and if he lives to be the same age as all of my grandparents, will extract roughly $300k (net present value). By the time I am his age, I will have contributed nearly $600k, and am likely to never see any of that. So economically, it woud be better for me to simply pay him and my mom directly.
