If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.
President John F. Kennedy
How we treat our citizens is a reflection on our society. Taxes are there for the good of all. Each specific program may not benefit you but are there for the greater good. Don't doubt for a minute that the majority of our tax legislation benifits the wealthy
We could only hope that taxes are there for the good of all. That was the Founders' intent I believe--they saw the necessity to collect taxes to pay for the Constitutionally authorized responsibilities of the federal government and those responsibilities were intended to benefit every U.S. citizen without prejudice or favoritism. To a man, they believed that it was not the Constitutionally authorized responsibility of government to provide anything more than protection of the Constitutionally protected rights of any individual.
They rightfully knew that there was no way for government to provide for Citizen B at the expense of Citizen A or to provide any form of charity without such being a corrupting influence on both government and the beneficiaries of government largesse.
Generally speaking, and allowing for excpetions, where conservatives and liberals differ most is that conservatives see how we treat our citizens as responsibility of individual members of society, while liberals see government as the solution for all of societies problems.
Taxes spent irresponsibly or to curry favor or to buy votes or to increase the wealth and power of those elected to administer the government do not benefit all and do not promote the greater good. But he who robs Peter to pay Paul will always be able to depend on the loyaty and support of Paul.