Taxation without recompense in the USA?

SyncNine writes: "It's definitely not rare to see an editorial from a US citizen regarding the benefits that American citizens receive for their taxes, but it is rare to see one that is intelligently written and that hits the nail directly on the head. From the editorial:

In New Zealand, it was national news when someone had to sleep in their car for a two months because he couldn't find work. In America, such a thing is so commonplace that it doesn't even merit casual mention. New Zealanders pay only 2% more income tax than Americans do (at my income level), and in return get free public healthcare and virtually unlimited unemployment benefits. In America, you're cut off in most states after a few months of a rather paltry sum.
France, the world's sixth largest economy, has a 35-to-37 hour workweek, a 6% poverty rate (the US is at 18%), and a minimum wage of roughly eight dollars per hour. It also ranks above the US in productivity (GDP divided by hours worked). Employees are taxed about 20% at my income level, which is roughly 8% less than in America. Despite this, every citizen in France has a right to public healthcare and up to 23 months of unemployment insurance.

The writer also brings up several key points about socialist practices in other countries that provide much greater benefits to their citizens while keeping their income tax level between 5% and 8% lower than the US. Are we, as Americans, asking/demanding too little of our government for the amount that we provide them?"