Taxation Without Representation

I used to be in the Boy Scouts. Yes, I know it is hard to believe that I am, in fact, an Eagle Scout. One of my projects for a required merit badge was to mail the president of the United States. At that time, Bill Clinton was president. While there were many things that I wanted to say to him, I witheld my previous notions and wrote him a watered-down generic letter. I had just started paying taxes and had asked him for a detailed list of what I was paying taxes to. I wanted to know what the government was doing with my money.
I got a responce. You may be expecting a 300 page document telling me everything about what the government was spending my money on. Instead it was a one-page letter expressing their gratitude over my concern for government spending. This letter probably put me on a list that will get me audited in the near future instead of gaining a better understanding of governmental spending.
Yet, to this day I wonder where all of the money that we spend goes. Everything from local taxes such as sales and real estate taxes to governmental like income tax goes without any explanation. Sure, we know of new propositions for a library or rec center. However, the actual per penny spending per person is never explained. As we pay our taxes before April 15th, we blindly assume that our money is going to schools, law enforcement and the betterment of the communities that we live in.
While in reality it could go to funding of programs that we don't agree with. Both socially, morally, and ultamaitly finantially.
Here in Illinois, embriotic stem cell research is being funded by my labor. I HATE that this happens. One would think that something this contrivercial would be funded by private interests alone. Yet, still, my money goes to fund something that I greatly oppose. Despite what Nancy Regan and Michael J. Fox say, they are wrong. I respect Regan and Back To The Future is the best trilogy ever made, yet, they are still wrong.
What I propose is something different. This perhaps is so revolutionary and, perhaps idealigic, that it will never come to pass. I propose that every aspect of our money be voted upon by the voter like a library referendum. However, we would have to narrow down the governemental spending in some regard. Therefore, I propose that it be limited to every program that is proposed above a million dollars. This includes not only national, but also state programs. This proposal would occur every ten years. This way it would not interfear with presidential or congressional elections that often.
Would it not be great to have some control over governmental spending? Granted, we elect represenatives that we hope would represent the greater amount of the state that elected them. But, look at jerk-faces like Dick Durban that have done nothing but embarass Illinois. Would it not be great to tell them "No! I do not wish for you to waste my hard-earned income on something I do not agree with!" even after that jerk-face has been elected.
I realize I'm being idealisitic. I also realize that the possibility of this happening will never probably occur, but wouldn't it be nice?
Until the utopia of govornment occurs where those who are elected are heald responsible, perhaps we can dream that one day America will truely belong to the people and their ethics and beliefs. Until then, your vote counts. Vote at every possible chance you have and hope that the people that you vote for do all that they say that they do. I still await that day after nearly ten years of voting. Until then I stand by the saying "Respect your Country. Question your government."