Question

Americans have the most difficulty forming opinions about:

A) women candidates.

B) social security.

C) policies that don't affect them personally.

D) domestic policy.

E) the amount of taxes they pay.

Answer 1

None of these. Every American I know has a very strong opinion on every one of these. Perhaps what you mean to ask is on what subjects Americans have difficultly coming to one single consensus opinion? Unfortunately in that case B, D and E could be plausible answers, and C is trivially true. (Women candidates clearly have a consensus opinion.)

If I had to take a wild guess, I'd guess based on the probable politics of the person who wrote the question that the answer that's wanted is E, because such people like to imagine that there is a substantial fraction of the population that wants to pay higher taxes, and so debates about tax increases are one segment of the population "not allowing" the rest, or some majority, to increase its own taxes, which seems dumb.

This is ridiculous, of course. What we have is a substantial segment of the population who would like to raise *somebody else's* taxes, and the debate is about exactly how ethical that is -- to vote yourself someone else's earnings, just because you can -- and about, to the extent it is ethical, what limits might there be on it. Paying taxes is a form of involuntariy servitude, like the draft of jury duty. You are required to contribute your labor, whether you wish to or not, for purposes you cannot directly control. It does not sit well with a free people, but on the other hand some degree of taxation seems necessary, inasmuch as people tend not to spend on collective needs until the need is urgent. So the debate rages.