Um...take a history course miss. As you stated, we are a nation "BY THE PEOPLE, for the people" meaning your vote is only for the politician to "take care of you". Unfortunately, if you aren't a billionaire your vote is just another number. Jefferson, Washington, Franklin, have all been quoted saying that there is no way the uneducated common person can make decisions for the betterment of society; that is why we are a representational government or in other words a republic. Early Americans both needed to be a white man and a landowner in order to vote...I wonder why?
If it makes you feel better at night that you dictate you tax dollars well that is fine, but then try not paying taxes little miss sunshine, see what happens to your "power" then. The only thing that protects you from the government are your Bill of Rights and with the recent talk of mandating the second amendment I am sure the others won't be off the table. So, to correct you once more, the reason why this country is in the dire that it is in has nothing with us having control over our taxes and not knowing. It's because we don't have any.