"Americans no longer willing to 'riot' against high taxes," shouted a Freedom Press editorial, September 3rd. While 20,000 Chinese farmers revolted over high taxation, Americans spit at the idea of returning excess taxes to their own pockets. They are paying an average of 45% of their income, while YOU, the average American, are taxed at a rate of 39% including all local, state and federal takedowns. I call it "socialism without the bennies."

I hang with the backlashers, along with a generous amount of columnists, radio talk show hosts, conservatives and libertarians who are constantly debating this issue. I'm ready for a new Boston Tea Party. Are you? Let's look at some splendid examples of our tax money at work.

"Tryon Palace project receives funding," states the headline. The Palace is a lovely restoration of American colonial life here. Yes, it's a treasure. Yes, it's living history, but now they propose to spend $28 million developing an adjacent piece of property on the waterfront for "environmental cleanup, a history education center, two museums and a traveling exhibit." As much money as possible will be solicited from private donors. The rest, estimated at approximately half, will be requested from the state of North Carolina's coffers.

I don't see $14 million in loose change being slated for the public school's history or science programs, nor do I see private donors knocking down their doors throwing money. Our kids have garbage pails catching water from the roofs of neglected buildings by their desks.

On to federal pig pickin's. The U.S. led, 16-nation International Space Station is of dubious use, according to critics. Began in the Reagan administration, it has cost eight times the initial estimates. Our portion was estimated at $8 billion. NASA spent $10 billion drawing and discarding blueprints, without building a thing and the hardware is now ten years behind schedule.

Pres. Clinton has promised spending would be capped at $17.4 billion on top of that (10+17.4 = $27.4 billion), but projections after shuttling hardware up there and maintenance over the 20-year life span have reached $96 billion. Can't the darn thing stay up longer than the Concorde? They've lasted 25 years so far.

That's a hefty chunk of change from our pockets. Private industry is already taking reservations for short space flights in 2002 for mere mortals. How'd they manage to do that? Private citizens are voluntarily paying for their research, development and flights.

Too complicated to think about? Everyone can relate to our recent Census, which cost taxpayers $7 billion. Many astute citizens noticed a return envelope in their initial, redundant mailing ("About one week from now, you will receive a U.S. Census 2000 form in the mail."), which appeared to have no use. Every pre-Census letter had one (115 million envelopes).

Then, like a good and angry citizen, I wrote to the Director, Kenneth Prewitt. His staff replied: "Only individuals who need to request a Census 2000 questionnaire in one of the five languages other than English should use the business reply envelope."

Five sentences at the bottom of the notification letter were written in "Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese and Tagalog" to explain this. Guessing each envelope cost 1 red cent, that cost the taxpayers $1.5 million. What about Hebrew, Arabic, et al languages spoken in America? And how many people do you know who speak Tagalog? I admit, I've never met one. I don't even know who speaks Tagalog. Tagalog? (This is my pure ignorance and no reflection on Tagalog-speaking Americans, whoever you are.)

On a personal note - get this - I filled out and returned my long form, as required by law, counting the number of people in my home. Even so, they sent one of their friendly Census Takers to my door trying to weasel more information out of me. How many millions did they squander with that move?

In Neah Bay, Washington, we have doled out $5 million to help the Makah Indian Tribe resurrect its "tradition" of hunting gray whales. They haven't hunted them for a hundred years. This amount included $435,000 for a grant to teach them how to eat the whale meat.

It cost us $43 million for a new computerized system to track the 500,000 foreign college students in the U.S. From 1991 to 1996, 9,767 visas were issued to students from Middle Eastern countries on the State Department's list of governments that support terrorism. One student with a lapsed student visa was convicted in the World Trade Center bombing.

Remember former Agriculture Secretary Mike Espy? He was accused of receiving gifts from Sun-Diamond Growers' lobbyist totaling $5,900. The Supreme Court declared those gifts were not in violation of federal law. It cost us $20 million to investigate the alleged corruption.

Medicare was established in 1965. Congress anticipated that its' hospital insurance program would cost taxpayers $9.1 billion by 1990. The actual cost was $67 billion, according to Government Waste Watch, a private watchdog group with 600,000 members.

One great accomplishment of this nonpartisan group is their ratings of our Congresspeople. They examined 47 key House and Senate votes in the first session of the 106th Congress to see whom the taxpayer's friends really are - who votes for pork and who defends our pocketbooks against waste.

A "Taxpayer Superhero" votes to cut waste every single time, receiving a score of 100%. Rep. Steve Chabot (R-Ohio) has received this honor three years in a row. Rep.Chris Cox (R-Calif.) and Mark Sanford (R-S.C.) shared this distinction in 1999. In the Senate, no Superheroes existed, but Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) scored highest with 95 % making him a "Taxpayer Hero." John McCain (R-Ariz.) followed closely with 94%.

For those folks living in my area, Rep. Eva Clayton (D - N.C.) scored....15%, Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.) scored 76%. Sen.Jesse Helms (R-N.C.) scored 66%, Sen.John Edwards (D-N.C.)….9%.

Democrats are really going hog wild. In the 103rd Congressional session, as a group - they rated 35%. Now it's down to 12% waste cutters. That's depressing. Republicans are holding fairly steady at 69%.

Don't blame me. I'm not a member of either of those parties. If you'd like a copy of the entire survey, call Citizens Against Government Waste at 1-800-BE-ANGRY. <-No kidding.

And so, dear listeners, when your almost-elected official comes to you and says, "There is a HUGE RISK involved in ....cutting taxes, privatizing social security, yadda, yadda, yadda," you tell them, "The only RISK involved is that you might be outta a job."

This is LN Shapely - taking a Rolaid. Until next time, rethink this "free prescription medication" plot - make one phone call, write some idiot a letter and tell your friends to be ready for the Big Party. It's coming. Peace be with you.

Also by LN Shapely...

• Masculinity in Crisis
• Live Like A Pirate
• Going Broke in the USA