The “Want Everything, Pay Nothing” Problem

[bitterbit]

Global debt is record $323 Trillion. Big banks and loan institutions including currency whales make this a bigger problem.

[Fortify]

I wonder if we are all trapped in the same game. We want more help from our governments, but we do not want to pay higher taxes. We want good schools, healthcare, safe streets, but also lower bills. I am just as guilty. I like cheap services and extra support too. Who doesn't?

But after reading more about the global economy as a new hobby of mine, I see a problem. The richest countries are spending and borrowing like never before, even when things are calm. For example, countries like the US, UK, Japan, they all owe more than their entire yearly income (Japan owes double!). But nobody seems to care much. We keep getting tax breaks, handouts, help from the government. Governments keep borrowing money to make us happy. It feels good, but deep down, I know it is not free. And interest payments alone are as big as military budgets

Half of all this debt comes due soon, in just a few years. If interest rates go up more, there is no easy way out. The system works only if people trust it. If that trust breaks (through a political fight or money crisis, ANYTHING) everything can change overnight

People just want more services, but not higher taxes or less help. Politicians promise both, and then just borrow more. In my own life, I benefit from this too: cheaper healthcare, more support, but I know someone will pay for this later. Maybe our children

Is it fair to leave this bill to our kids, just so we can have comfort now? I do not have a perfect answer

If money is spent on useful projects, like building infrastructure that moves people and goods around (highways, railways, bridges, etc.) then it can actually improve the efficiency of the country, so may be worth it in the long run as long as good estimates are made on the return over a long time. When money is spent on bloated public services or an attempt to buy goodwill off the public before an important election, instead of taking hard decisions like raising tax which can be necessary but are hated by the population, then it is wasteful debt. Inflation will gradually inflate away a portion of the debt if done over a long time, so it can actually be a wise investment if structured correctly.

[uneng]

I wonder if we are all trapped in the same game. We want more help from our governments, but we do not want to pay higher taxes. We want good schools, healthcare, safe streets, but also lower bills. I am just as guilty. I like cheap services and extra support too. Who doesn't?

We already pay too expensive taxes to receive services which aren't proportional to the costs in counterpart. To raise taxes doesn't mean better services, but more spendings from governments on public agents' wages and benefits (executive, legislative and judiciary).

I don't want good schools and healthcare from government, but only security. Regards the another aspects, I want to have enough money to afford it myself, having freedom to choose what school I want to attend to and what healthcare service I want to hire.

At same time, of course I want lower bills, because it gives me more autonomy to destiny my money to where I consider to be important and useful. I don't want a government doing it for myself.

[Alpha Marine]

I don't think wanting things for free is the problem; the problem is that the government use these taxpayers' money for unnecessary things. When you come from a third world country where the government use taxpayers' money to buy private properties like yachts, exotic cars, private jets, luxurious houses I different cities, it becomes very difficult for you to be cooperative in paying taxes, even though you don't have a choice. You'll see government officials use that money for everything else aside from making the country and the lives of people in the country better.

Politicians and other government officials share the money amongst themselves while the schools, hospitals, transport, security and employment rate are in very bad shape. Things like this don't encourage people to pay more taxes.
It's worst in third-world countries where corruption is the order of the day. In countries like that, you'll find out that the government can't provide basic amenities like electricity, drinking water, proper security, or good transportation. Nobody will be happy to pay taxes under these kinds of conditions.

[dezoel]

Who likes to pay when there's nothing in return?

Reading your post sounded like you were talking about my country, i am from Nigeria by the way and most of what you said is also the situation in my country. Nigeria is blessed with natural resources, but where does all the government revenue go to? It is spent on paying politicians all sorts of allowances and paying for their luxury, you would be amazed at how much legislators earn in my country when you compare it to the minimum wage.

That said, i don't have a problem with paying my taxes, but i will feel a lot better if they were used to improve the standard of living to an acceptable level.

Actually many can relate with that. But as for the resources, I think yeah that Nigeria can excel over the others. It is not surprising anymore on why they are still poor but if only their governments are on their right minds, they can easily surpass some countries.

Politicians should not be given by a good salary if they are not doing their jobs well but this is also the reason on why they can kill only to get on their positions. About minimum wage, I think the employer are still free to increase it if they really wanted to but the problem is that many of them are also stingy. They are close to those kind of governments we are talking about earlier.

[slapper]

To change this entire system, we must first change our own attitude. If we do not change our attitude, no change in the system is possible. If we do not support the government, how can the government help us? The source of government income is the common people. The common people are not interested in paying more taxes and want more opportunities. To fulfill such demands, the government has no choice but to lend money from another country.

~

The governments of the country are also busy providing benefits to the voters. They do not consider borrowing a burden. They think that the country will continue to run like this. They do not consider it a problem. That is why some countries are collecting a large part of their budget through borrowing.

Even if such a situation does not have an effect in the short term, it will create problems in the long term. If a loan is taken, that loan must be repaid. Therefore, it should not be considered normal. Governments can run the country by presenting their real situation to the public without doing politics of getting votes and if they are able to do it through their own income then that country will definitely move forward. Those who depend on loans will definitely be at risk. Their economy can collapse at any time.

Your reply hits me hard in a good way. I agree, change always starts with attitude: how we see ourselves, our responsibilities, and the system we are a part of. If people just expect more but never want to give, or always blame someone else, then nothing will move forward, no matter who is in charge. If people refuse to face tough truths, leaders just end up borrowing more to keep everyone happy for the next election. That is what I am seeing too, not only in my country but in many others

Governments should stop playing vote games and just tell it straight. If we all know the real numbers, maybe we would be more willing to work together for real solutions, instead of always pushing the problem to "later" or "someone else". Still, I notice a big challenge: even if attitudes change, a lot of people feel powerless, like their single voice or vote does not matter. Maybe that is why there is so much apathy and just hoping "the system" will fix itself. Personally, I started learning about crypto because I wanted at least some control over my future, even if it is small

But you are right. If we all only think about ourselves, the cycle of debt and borrowing never ends, and at some point, it will catch up. I hope more people realize this before the long-term risks become a crisis

This is a very important question that you asked because with the way and manner that government all over the world borrows especially from the African continent it gives me cause for concern because we should not forget that what ever action that we are taking has consequences some of these loans we are taking it will take our second generation to pay so governments all over the world should come up with plans on how to reduce the way that they owe because politics is one thing that is not giving attention to how the next generation will handle it what politicians are concerned about is they can get to office, we are leaving a great border for our children to come which is not a good thing to do through loans that the current generation is taking

The majority of politicians are interested in immediate victories, not in long-term health. It is a game to promise more and borrow more in almost every election, and to pretend that the next generation will simply figure it out. I do not only see this in Africa. However, in areas where citizens are already suffering, such debts are a bigger burden. The world we are leaving our children will be harder, not easier, than the one we have. Debt is not a figure on paper. It is less opportunity, more pressure, and sometimes less freedom for them

I wish there was more honesty from leaders with less talk about "growth at any cost" and more about how to live within our means, or at least spend on things that really build for the future (like schools, clean water, strong hospitals). But nobody in power wants to have that hard conversation. It is easier to leave the problem for later

I do believe people are waking up, though. I see more young people asking questions, demanding more transparency, and looking for alternatives. That gives me a bit of hope. But until politics changes, maybe we also need to change how we save, invest, and vote so we are not just bystanders in this cycle

If every government in this world is in debt, then it brings me a question that who hands out money to them?

And governments too focus on satisfying the people in the short term because there will be a next election so they just prepare themselves to get elected again while ignoring the root causes. And there is no escape from the debt too because of the money system that just lose value over the period so even if we pay more the debt will just keep increasing more.

One must take a brave step that I am going to focus on the betterment of people in the next few decades, even if the people who are under the rule will hate those policies.

It is a mix: other governments, large banks, pension funds, even common people in the form of bonds. Much of the time it is simply borrowing against the future, hoping that the economy will be larger in the future than it is now. Every government is stuck in a four-year loop by promising quick fixes so people will vote for them, instead of facing the real, long-term issues. I get why it happens. We are mostly concerned with what is in front of us: work, bills, everyday stress. But when leaders always take the easy road, the deeper problems just pile up for the next generation

And yes, this money system means your savings buy less every year, while the debt keeps getting bigger, no matter how much we all pay in. The entire system is structured in such a way that it keeps individuals distracted and occupied, thus no one ever has the strength to insist on actual change

[adaseb]

Well this was one of the reasons why Elon and Trump had that big fight. Elon started DOGE and worked for months trying to reduce the debt by a few billion but with Trumps spending bill, his Doge savings hardly would put a dent into the overall debt. This debt is a huge problem and it seems Elon is the only one that is trying to do something about it.

Excessive spending is just getting out of control, and this will keep spirling out until there is some massive crash. This is basically like paying a credit card with another credit card, however with a credit card there is a limit. With the US Government there is no limit and they can also print money. So basically fooling the system. But eventually how will this debt get paid off?

[Ucy]

Ofcourse, people need to give more to their country than they take, and it should be good quality and very useful things they are giving. They will gain alot and the debt burden lessened by giving this way...Giving the wrong things is as bad as not giving atall, so they should be conscious of the kind of things they give. I think this is what the current US administration is trying to solve to make its economy more profitable and sustainable, but alot of people don't seem to understand. Some are more concerned about self than the collective or country first, which can add more to the issues.

Beside, supporting bad and unprofitable things is the major reasons countries are in debt. USA for example is funding an unjust and unprofitable war in Ukraine, just to support her ally and interest. But injustice or evil things like that are unprofitable and more expensive to support, and you end up losing, no matter the amount of money you pour in. Even if you gain something it becomes a problem because the source is evil.
Seems the current USA administration is aware of this, and is trying to stop the war the right way, or push the burden on those who prefer things to be the way they are, and it is even trying to recover what it spent via the mineral deals and other means.

I think doing things right, like the current US admin is trying to do can improve things alot.

[d5000]

Global debt is record $323 Trillion. Big banks and loan institutions including currency whales make this a bigger problem.

Most of this debt is private debt. Is a high level of private debt really a "problem"? Most of it is corporate debt, and corporations mostly take debt when they invest, and that's normally a good thing because they build up infrastructure. (Well, there are people like Saylor too, who take debt to buy BTC. Is this "good" or "bad"?)

And again, it's important to see always the relation of debt to GDP. Because it's healthy that when GDP grows, corporations and governments invest more.

Debt to GDP ratio, if public and private debt is aggregated together, peaked in 2020 with 257% of the world GDP. In 2023, it had already returned to 237%. It's still high, but not record high. Probably in real terms it's even lower, due to 2022-23's inflation in many countries.

Source: IMF. Latest full report went only to 2023, and according to other sources global debt to GDP ratio increased slightly in 2024, but only by 1,5%. As I wrote before, probably mostly fueled by China.

[robelneo]

The government wants everything for itself, while giving nothing back to the ordinary people.

That’s precisely what the majority of the citizens think here in our country: what you’re paying is not commensurate with what you’re getting.
We have so many taxes on consumer goods and services. There are also expanded value-added taxes, and yet, if you go to a public hospital, you will have to line up and beg politicians to get a letter of guarantee. It’s challenging to live in a third-world country due to the rampant corruption.
It’s the other way around in a third-world country; they pay so much, and yet you hardly get anything.

[Abiky]

Apart from tax payers money is there no other ways government generate revenue? My country is rich in mineral resources which is basically enough to hand most of the government budgets of every year without tax payers money.

So I ask do we still need to pay more tax to get what the people deserve? it might be very different in every one's country but yet for a country like the US with about 37T trillion in debt and still find a way to sponsor wars in other countries wouldn't that be budget to satisfy the desires of the tax payers than take more debts and make them pay more just to use it to sponsor criminal groups like Isis, bokoharam of Nigeria and other internal was of different countries through the so called IMF funds?

If we make a rational thought about tax payers money and how it is controlled it's nothing more than a device to keep the poor being poor, because obviously that's what the debts are meant to do, as long as you earn bigger you pay bigger making you remain in the same cycle so I do not agree that the people want more but don't want to pay more because indirectly we already pay more than we request of the government!

Tariffs can be seen as another way to generate revenue. US President Donald Trump said import tariffs were going to be enough to eliminate the income tax. That hasn't materialized yet, but if it works, it will allow people to live comfortably without paying taxes. Leaving taxes on top of tariffs will generate even greater revenue for governments, but will result in greater economic burden for people.

I understand most young people don't want to work these days, so it's going to become harder for governments to collect taxes in the long run. Future generations will depend completely on government assistance to survive (freeloaders). We can blame recent technological advancements for this (especially AI). Eventually, a UBI (Universal Basic Income) will be established, allowing anyone to earn "free" money without doing nothing. Who's going to work with such a system in place? AI will do all of the work, while we sit back and relax. We'll see how sustainable this will be for mainstream governments in the long run.

[slapper]

The richest countries are spending and borrowing like never before, even when things are calm.

This is only true if you take absolute numbers.

Debt rates in comparison to the countries' GDP (in real terms, not nominal terms) are stagnating or sinking in most cases. Most of the recent increase of spending/borrowing can be explained by COVID, and since then the debt rates as percentage of GDP have lowered.

Some examples (2020/2021 to 2024):

- Euro Area: 97% to 87%
- Japan: 225% to 216%
- US: 130% to 125%
- Brazil: 85% to 76%
- India: 58% to 56%

The most significant outlier is China where public debt grew, but on a very low level (20% to 26%).

(Sources: Statista and Ceicdata.)

I don't say that the current debt level is healthy. I'd always opt for a small but gradual debt decrease policy in "good times". But Japan shows you can live highly indebted for decades. So I don't see any collapse in the near future. It's something Bitcoiners seem to like to overdramatize to promote BTC to "fix it" (even Satoshi in some ways did that in his famous on-chain message). But I think Bitcoin doesn't need a financial collapse to thrive, it can thrive even if fiat is doing well for decades more.

Appreciate your reply, and your facts!

Debt/GDP trends from the COVID spike, some countries’ ratios have improved a bit as economies recovered. Japan, the Euro Area, even the US, ratios have pulled back from the absolute highs. Totally fair point, and thanks for the sources. (I actually checked a few of those stats after reading your post)

Debt, on its own, is not instant doom. Japan has run with crazy-high debt for decades, and the system didn’t snap. Also, if growth stays healthy and rates stay manageable, a high debt load is not necessarily explosive. My concern is more about the "next turn". If interest rates stay up, or if another big shock hits, the cost to refinance could ramp up fast. History shows that when the rate > growth math flips, that is when things can suddenly get stressful

But you nailed it: it is not all about collapse. I do not even want a collapse! I want options. My take on Bitcoin is less "end of fiat" and more about having an alternative if/when trust in government money goes sideways

~

It is not designed to keep the poor poor.

It is designed to protect the rich and keep the rich rich.


The rich know that limiting the amount of people in the rich club helps the rich stay rich.

To the rich the poor are toilet paper use them and flush them down the drain when you are done with them.

People get too focused on the "poor vs poor" fight, when it is actually about gatekeeping and protecting power at the top. You can see it in how big tax loopholes never really close, or how the rules get complicated enough that only the super-rich can afford the lawyers to avoid paying what the rest of us have to

What frustrates me is how, when regular folks start to wake up or push back, the debate always gets split:
- "It is your fault for not working hard enough", or
- "It is those people over there taking your share"

Meanwhile, the really big decisions (where the real money goes) just keep happening quietly at the top

When you look at the numbers, even in these so-called "rich countries", it is always the middle class and poor who pick up the tab, either through taxes, inflation, or lost services. Therefore, people should be starting to look for alternatives, even if those are still messy (like crypto, local currencies, or just finding new ways to support each other outside the "official" system)

I cannot say it will change overnight, but at least talking about it out loud is better than just swallowing it

It's one thing for a country to have so much debt but has also leveraged that same debt for greater productivity and better services, and quite another for a country to be buried in debt but squandered the money on pointless expenses. The former is Japan. The latter is my tiny country.

Japan is one of the world's largest economies--within the top 5--with a high standard of living. My country is poor with low standard of living. Japan has efficient public services. Bridges seldom collapse but when they do, they're quickly restored to a sturdy condition that would last for decades.

Here in mine, a newly-built bridge may collapse anytime. It takes several years to build it only to see it crumble after weeks or months. The restoration will be done for several years. It will again be serviceable for weeks. Proceeds from loans and grants are either stolen by the country's officials or spent on unsustainable and hollow programs and projects like direct dole-outs and subsidies.

Who likes to pay when there's nothing in return?

A lot of us from smaller or less developed countries feel this way, and I respect how direct you are about it. Debt in itself isn't evil. If a country borrows to build good things (roads, hospitals, digital systems, schools, whatever that actually work) then maybe it is worth the risk. Japan, as you said, is a giant in the world because they turned a lot of that debt into real progress. People can actually feel the results: strong infrastructure, safe public transport, reliable healthcare, and a generally high quality of life

But when debt just disappears into pockets or is wasted on programs that do not last, it turns into a whole different story. In my own country, you pay taxes or take on debt, but get almost nothing back. Bridges collapse, the power goes out, officials get richer, but regular people just get by. That feeling (paying, but not receiving) makes people lose faith in the system. Why would anyone want to pay more tax (or tolerate more debt) if nothing gets better?

[Ivystar5]

Global debt is record $323 Trillion. Big banks and loan institutions including currency whales make this a bigger problem.

If we start thinking very rational we can figure out that it's not even a world loan because we owe each other and it's accumulated, money is debt which basically means that this is the money in the world currently the high the world debt, the high there is printed money.
In terms of what op is saying, we basically pay this money that he said we don't want to pay but we want more because in a natural sense whatsoever that is money, the tax payers get to fix that through the increment in the tax we pay. So in all sense we are just demanding what we deserve.

[Unknown Op]

Who likes to pay when there's nothing in return?

Reading your post sounded like you were talking about my country, i am from Nigeria by the way and most of what you said is also the situation in my country. Nigeria is blessed with natural resources, but where does all the government revenue go to? It is spent on paying politicians all sorts of allowances and paying for their luxury, you would be amazed at how much legislators earn in my country when you compare it to the minimum wage.

That said, i don't have a problem with paying my taxes, but i will feel a lot better if they were used to improve the standard of living to an acceptable level.

Actually many can relate with that. But as for the resources, I think yeah that Nigeria can excel over the others. It is not surprising anymore on why they are still poor but if only their governments are on their right minds, they can easily surpass some countries.

Politicians should not be given by a good salary if they are not doing their jobs well but this is also the reason on why they can kill only to get on their positions. About minimum wage, I think the employer are still free to increase it if they really wanted to but the problem is that many of them are also stingy. They are close to those kind of governments we are talking about earlier.

I think tax system is good to run the country because all people want facility in life and that is, possible by tax system but there should be fair tax application on all people. Rich people are paying no taxes on their assets and they have billions of dollars in the account and they are showing that they are in debt which is making the country in debt because these are important part of country and most of the industries are run by these people, these people could give tax easily but they claim that they are giving jobs and they deserve relief and they are the reason behind accumulation if tax from poor people but countries will stand when all people will give tax and government will be sincere with the people. The coordination between people and government is important to get rid of debt overload.

[slapper]

Global debt is record $323 Trillion. Big banks and loan institutions including currency whales make this a bigger problem.

If we start thinking very rational we can figure out that it's not even a world loan because we owe each other and it's accumulated, money is debt which basically means that this is the money in the world currently the high the world debt, the high there is printed money.
In terms of what op is saying, we basically pay this money that he said we don't want to pay but we want more because in a natural sense whatsoever that is money, the tax payers get to fix that through the increment in the tax we pay. So in all sense we are just demanding what we deserve.

Excellent observation on how all this world debt is just money going in and out of pockets. It is almost as though we are all just writing IOUs and saying that it is "wealth". I have been considering this as well: the money of the world is essentially numbers and the more debt, the more money in the system. That is one big balancing act, and yeah, when governments go into more debt, it usually means more money is printed

Who likes to pay when there's nothing in return?

Reading your post sounded like you were talking about my country, i am from Nigeria by the way and most of what you said is also the situation in my country. Nigeria is blessed with natural resources, but where does all the government revenue go to? It is spent on paying politicians all sorts of allowances and paying for their luxury, you would be amazed at how much legislators earn in my country when you compare it to the minimum wage.

That said, i don't have a problem with paying my taxes, but i will feel a lot better if they were used to improve the standard of living to an acceptable level.

Actually many can relate with that. But as for the resources, I think yeah that Nigeria can excel over the others. It is not surprising anymore on why they are still poor but if only their governments are on their right minds, they can easily surpass some countries.

Politicians should not be given by a good salary if they are not doing their jobs well but this is also the reason on why they can kill only to get on their positions. About minimum wage, I think the employer are still free to increase it if they really wanted to but the problem is that many of them are also stingy. They are close to those kind of governments we are talking about earlier.

I think tax system is good to run the country because all people want facility in life and that is, possible by tax system but there should be fair tax application on all people. Rich people are paying no taxes on their assets and they have billions of dollars in the account and they are showing that they are in debt which is making the country in debt because these are important part of country and most of the industries are run by these people, these people could give tax easily but they claim that they are giving jobs and they deserve relief and they are the reason behind accumulation if tax from poor people but countries will stand when all people will give tax and government will be sincere with the people. The coordination between people and government is important to get rid of debt overload.

Taxes are necessary for any country to work well. There is no way we get roads, hospitals, security, or even fair courts without people paying in. I agree, in theory, taxes should be for everyone, and everyone should get something back. That is the dream

But, like you said, the problem is the system is rarely fair. It is not just in one country. Almost everywhere, the richest find ways to avoid taxes. They have teams of lawyers, complicated companies, offshore accounts. Meanwhile, regular people cannot do this, so they pay what is asked, and even more, just to survive

I see the same thing: Big companies say they "create jobs", so they need lower taxes. But this is just an excuse. Jobs matter, but so does everyone paying their part. If only workers pay, and the richest do not, the country cannot be strong for long. The gap just gets wider

What makes it harder is, people lose trust in the system. “Why should I pay if the big guys do not?”, they asked. And when government is not sincere by wasting money or making shady deals, trust goes down even more. It turns into a cycle: more tax dodging, more debt, more frustration

real change has to come from both sides. People need to see where their money goes, and governments need to close loopholes and treat all citizens fairly, rich or poor. If we ever get that, maybe people will actually feel good about paying taxes

[dunfida]

Who likes to pay when there's nothing in return?

Reading your post sounded like you were talking about my country, i am from Nigeria by the way and most of what you said is also the situation in my country. Nigeria is blessed with natural resources, but where does all the government revenue go to? It is spent on paying politicians all sorts of allowances and paying for their luxury, you would be amazed at how much legislators earn in my country when you compare it to the minimum wage.

That said, i don't have a problem with paying my taxes, but i will feel a lot better if they were used to improve the standard of living to an acceptable level.

Actually many can relate with that. But as for the resources, I think yeah that Nigeria can excel over the others. It is not surprising anymore on why they are still poor but if only their governments are on their right minds, they can easily surpass some countries.

Politicians should not be given by a good salary if they are not doing their jobs well but this is also the reason on why they can kill only to get on their positions. About minimum wage, I think the employer are still free to increase it if they really wanted to but the problem is that many of them are also stingy. They are close to those kind of governments we are talking about earlier.

I think tax system is good to run the country because all people want facility in life and that is, possible by tax system but there should be fair tax application on all people. Rich people are paying no taxes on their assets and they have billions of dollars in the account and they are showing that they are in debt which is making the country in debt because these are important part of country and most of the industries are run by these people, these people could give tax easily but they claim that they are giving jobs and they deserve relief and they are the reason behind accumulation if tax from poor people but countries will stand when all people will give tax and government will be sincere with the people. The coordination between people and government is important to get rid of debt overload.

We do know on how taxes works and its that for the good when it comes to economic development of course on which the citizen would be able to benefit out on which it would be that still depending on the leaders of the said country whether they are that responsible enough and not someone whose corrupted on which there are those places who do have this very common problem. This is where we could be able to see the difference when it comes to governance and development of course that differ on each place and thats why its ideal that a certain individual wont be that hoping up that much or would be that reliant when it comes into those possible benefits that they do get into government services or aids or what. Its better to think up on having that approach rather than on trying to expect something or not.

If they would be that trying out to apply then it would be good but if not then there's nothing we can do about it but rather to move on and just that simply move our own way on how to sustain.
We are the ones who would be trying out change up our lives even with those factors along the way.

[Ivystar5]

Global debt is record $323 Trillion. Big banks and loan institutions including currency whales make this a bigger problem.

If we start thinking very rational we can figure out that it's not even a world loan because we owe each other and it's accumulated, money is debt which basically means that this is the money in the world currently the high the world debt, the high there is printed money.
In terms of what op is saying, we basically pay this money that he said we don't want to pay but we want more because in a natural sense whatsoever that is money, the tax payers get to fix that through the increment in the tax we pay. So in all sense we are just demanding what we deserve.

Excellent observation on how all this world debt is just money going in and out of pockets. It is almost as though we are all just writing IOUs and saying that it is "wealth". I have been considering this as well: the money of the world is essentially numbers and the more debt, the more money in the system. That is one big balancing act, and yeah, when governments go into more debt, it usually means more money is printed

Good you agree with me! the world is preplanned to be a confusion for us, printing more money to have the citizens or the people in control is the absolute game the governments play with us, now they might come up with an association that will be named a confused few words then fund it themselves and ask other all economies to take a free interest loans from this associations and then accumulate it into the world loan hence keeping the people in check.
It might seem balanced a bit but if deeply searched it's full of shit, the world economy is very much confusing to the ordinary man.

Back to the topic, I still disagree that people ask for that they aren't will to pay, the government officials proudly say that the people do not know what they want so they set more confusion and ask us to pay in other to keep the rich richer and we pay all that in tax. You could wake one day and you are taxed for even sleeping and we will have no choice than to pay directly or indirectly, so whatever demands the people make it should be granted and add it to there bill as they always do but however just let it be granted in the first place.

[Reatim]

Politicians should not be given by a good salary if they are not doing their jobs well but this is also the reason on why they can kill only to get on their positions.

politicians shouldn't really be rich especially if the citizens are suffering but because of corruption they are ending up spending the people's money for their personal uses

About minimum wage, I think the employer are still free to increase it if they really wanted to but the problem is that many of them are also stingy. They are close to those kind of governments we are talking about earlier.

that is because they also are not earning much because of taxes and such the government affects everyone both the employers and the employees

[JiiBs]

It is not designed to keep the poor poor.

It is designed to protect the rich and keep the rich rich.

The rich know that limiting the amount of people in the rich club helps the rich stay rich.

To the rich the poor are toilet paper use them and flush them down the drain when you are done with them.

We can think of it like a pyramid scheme, same type that Ponzi schemes do operate, where those at the top keep getting rich by the day, every devastating situation and economic crisis seems to benefit them in a way, with the poor getting reaped from how much they have to give to survive and the rich at the end of it’s benefits.

Every now and then, some poor forks gets to break out but, they only make the pyramid taller.
Once the poor entertains the thought of schemes been devised to make them remain poor, it creates a submissive mindset to that idea in their subconsciousness and that’s how, a breakout becomes even more difficult.

[STT]

Government never pays, you might as well walk the yellow brick road to petition the wizard for his benevolence.   A complete fairy tale is the idea government pays its citizens, the government is as important as a traffic light they dont carry the load or do the work they may direct it usefully perhaps.
  Citizens are the wealth of a country beginning and end to any tale, any speech should honestly reflect that.