History of money and taxes

Does anybody still think about the reason why we pay taxes? When did taxation start? Is it the best way for a government to raise money?
Will it ever be enough? Isn't the government designed to serve the people? I have the impression that the government is getting bigger and bigger, tells us they are there to look after us, but is giving us a misleading sense of collective safety. We are afraid to be alone and need our big brother to look after us, we take the occasional beating for granted. We have to learn to look after ourselves again. Not each individual on its own, but a civilised society where we take care of the people in our circle of influence. Government needs to decrease, we must rethink the way we pay for things.
Martin Armstrong gives us a good lesson in this valuable piece http://armstrongeconomics.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/armstrongeconomics-bound-to-past-090811.pdf