Every Minnesotan has their own morning routine. It probably involves using some clean water to brush their teeth and make coffee, checking your mail, followed by hopping on the bus or driving to work while passing schools, playgrounds, sidewalks, hospitals, fire stations, over bridges and through stoplights guided by highway signs and speed limits.

Just in the first two hours of every day, we use multiple services paid for by taxes.

And this isn’t even highlighting some of the most notable resources our tax dollars fund. I’m talking about teachers, firefighters, police officers, 911 call centers, EMTs and emergency services. Not to mention our parks, wildlife trails, DNR, public beaches and dog parks.

Our taxes also fund our schools. More than 840,000 kids attend Minnesota’s public schools  in 339 school districts across the state, each filled with staff and teachers that provide kids with the tools they need to succeed.

The success of our students was made very clear this past November. Minnesota 4th graders scored the highest in the country in math, with 8th graders ranked 5th in the country. The same test also showed Minnesota’s achievement gap shrinking, meaning that more students across backgrounds are doing better as well.

We all know a strong academic foundation is crucial to the future success of our economy. It’s one of the wisest investments we can make in our state, and it relies on a well-funded system.

The list of services we rely on thanks to taxes is very, very long. (Did I mention libraries, public transportation, the postal service, bike lanes or clean lakes?) So next time you’re getting ready in the morning, take a look around you and all the services provided by tax dollars. And maybe even say “Thanks, taxes!”