We had a huge middle class a hundred years ago because we still had a big chunk of the population involved in agriculture. Taxes to pay for education were minimal because most people had far less than a high school education.
We didn't have road taxes, gas taxes, or recreational vehicle taxes because none of those things existed.

I think the choice has been made by 98% of Americans that getting up at 430 AM to milk the cows sucks ass; that even a mediocre high school education is better than a third grade education; and I prefer truck exhaust to the smell that comes out of a horses ass.

It may not seem like progress to some, but I much prefer to pay the taxes than suffer the alternative.