Hayden,
The reason why your tax dollars go to the war in iraq and to haliburton is BECAUSE of the free market environment in the US. The reason why lobbyists for companies like haliburton can push so hard in washington to make sure your tax dollars go to the war is because of the amount of money they have backing them. Thats where the corruption comes from. The american government cannot make decisions that are in the interest of the people because of the amount of financial backing that comes from companies with strong political agendas. It isn't fare to say governments can't create anything just because the current american system appears that way. If you look at examples of countries with some of the highest standards of living anywhere in the world, where poverty is almost non existant and there is little unemployment, you'll see that these countries have the highest tax rates and strictist governing bodies(Switzerland, Sweden, Norway etc.). Tynan talks of Ron Paul's beliefs in personal responsibility above, wouldn't part of a persons personal responsibility be to make sure the lifestyle they live in is maintained by maintaining the society they live in?
Its very true that taxes given to the current american government will not benefit the people. Which is why I can see people backing a candidate like Ron Paul. I just don't think america as a country is ready for the ideas he has in mind. It would just cause a larger rift between the rich and the poor.
And in terms of obiesety, blaming corn subsidies is like reading the last page of a book and thinking you know the whole story. Sure a lot of what we eat today is corn based, but really thats just the tip of the iceberg. What about the sedentary lifestyle lead by most working adults that involves waking up, driving to work, sitting all day, and then coming home to watch TV and go to bed. Or how in gym class in grade school, being overweight is now considered an excuse to get out of certain activities? What about the multi-million dollar ad campains produced by companies like Coca-Cola to make us want all these horrible products. Although I do agree with you on the amount of corn people eat, I really don't think that is the problem.
Finally I do think that politicians are more enlightened than the populace, THATS WHY WE ELECT THEM. Frankly if the politicians are wasting your money and doing a poor job, its your fault, not theirs.