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Ever wonder what happens to the taxes taken out of your paycheck?

Of the four deductions — federal withholding, Social Security, Medicare and state taxes — two are self-explanatory. The expenditures related to federal withholding and state taxes are not as obvious. You'll have to look up what is happening in Congress and the Legislature to find out.

I looked up the bills submitted for the 110th Congress's 2007-08 regular budget session using the Web site washingtonwatch.com. I tried to count how many bills were submitted but gave up after I got to 500. I'm guessing there are close to 1,000 bills, and some of the bills had a cost-analysis figure attached, showing the taxes taken for an average family to have a bill funded.

The bills for the Iraq war topped the charts for cost per family. For example, S1547, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008, costs $6,118.56 per family. The bill "would authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2008 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, and it would prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year."

On the other hand, PL 110-134, the Improving Head Start Act of 2007, and HR 1429 would "reauthorize the Head Start Act, improve program quality and expand access," costing $304.72 per family.

It doesn't take a genius to figure out where the priorities of the Bush administration lie. There were several other bills associated with the Iraq war costing the American people hundreds of dollars, while the bills to improve the lives of the middle class, minorities and children had price tags well under $1,000.

If Congress switched the monies to support the war and applied them to the bills to improve the economy, health care and the environment, Congress would present President Bush with programs that actually meant something.

For example: The Nurse Loan Forgiveness Act of 2007; the Federal Housing Administration Modernization Act — "an original bill to modernize and update the National Housing Act and enable the Federal Housing Administration to more effectively reach underserved borrowers," according to washingtonwatch.com; and PL 110-140, the CLEAN Energy Act of 2007, an important piece of legislation reducing dependency on foreign oil by investing in clean, renewable and alternative energy resources, promoting new emerging energy technologies, developing greater efficiency and creating a strategic energy efficiency and renewables reserve to invest in alternative energy.

The Clean Energy Act is just $4.08 per family. The Nurse Loan Forgiveness Act and Federal Housing Administration Modernization Act have an untold dollar amount of savings to families who are the backbone of this country. Why should Americans continue to fund a war that is drowning them in debt?

Investigate the legislation up for approval on the federal and state levels, and you'll see the reasons to join the grass-roots efforts to bring back the strength of the vote.

You'll feel better when you do. I guarantee it.