Taxes, taxes, and more taxes

I wonder what we would really think if we knew exactly where every cent of our tax money went and what it was used for. As I sit here trying to put the piles and piles of paerwork into some sembalence of order for the tax preparer I cannot help thinking that enough is enough. Taxes on fuel, food, cigarettes, wine, candy, house, car, roads, income, utilities & phone, state to state purchases, etc... You get the idea. When I waited tables and bartended I had to claim my tips on my paycheck for a few places I worked and those got taxed so much that one time I recieved a check with *************for the amount due me. I thought it was a joke at first, but it took my regular hourly wage to pay the taxes on what I had made.
Now I sit here trying to assemble papaerwork to try to come up with enough deductions so that I can get some of those taxes back so I can afford to go to school. Crazy. I really would like to follow my money from a purchase to see where it really goes, again I think we would all be a little surprised. How many taxes should we pay and for what? I know we need some of them to help pay for roads, schools, sanitation facilities, prisons, what I help pay to keep people in jail. Maybe they should be out working for free and saving us some money on taxes. I don't know how it all works but I seriously get worked up when it is tax time. Thanks for the room to rant.