government and taxation

At the risk of pointing out the obvious, taxes are far too low in the United States.
Having grown up in a culture very similar to that in which I now live I find the different attitude about taxation in the United States very difficult to accept.
Is the government wasteful and inefficient? sure ...of course.....who is not? but the opposition to raising taxes in this country baffles me. For a vast majority of people a small increase (in dollar terms) of the taxes they pay could result in gaining far more in the way of transfers back to them. Be they directed to the very unlucky (or lazy as they are characterized in this country) or more relevant, be they in the form of lower costs on health, power, transportation, etc. Even a flat tax increase of 5% income across the board (this is not what I am advocating) would result in a vast majority of the population getting back far more in benefits than the 5% extra they would put out.
The only losers from higher taxation are the ones who can afford to lose it.
The misrepresentation that we are "being screwed" when the government takes our money is causing massive social ills in this country. I can understand why people at the top have fostered this perception, it does not take a genius to figure that out,
but it is time for the American people to wake up and pay some taxes. Only the very top would be hurt by higher taxes the rest of us would finally get some of the trickle down we so desperately need...
How do we get this trickle down? History has shown there are only two ways: take the money from the rich via taxation and use it on programs for everybody (health, power, etc.).
Or take a bigger slice with force. This second option has worked on micro level since the dawn of civilization, would it work on a large scale in the US? Not under the current conditions!

Does bigger government cause bigger waste?
Sure
Does bigger government help more people than it hurts?
For sure if it is the right kind of government.
Can our current government help more people that it hurts?
I would like to think so but I doubt it will.
Does bigger government mean greater democracy and rights as a citizen....not this government...not in this country....it is time for political a change ....a necessary beginning to the economic change we so drastically need. Not the removal of Obama, the man seems like his heart is in the right place. The change we need is a readjustment of power towards state and local governments. Places where changing who the corruption benefits are manageable battles in terms of scale.