On Tuesday, President Obama gave his third State of the Union address, in which he specified the need for more wealth equality in the United States. One solution is to raise taxes on the rich. I understand the hatred for paying taxes as much as any other person (nobody likes his money taken away), but we need to raise taxes on everyone, especially the rich.

Do I want to pay more taxes? No, nobody does. It will only make my family’s life harder. But our country is in crisis, and when that happens nobody should balk at the prospect of sacrificing a little bit. No, we aren’t at war, but a debt crisis is coming for this country eventually. And that will require hard work and sacrifice as well.

We’ve all seen the numbers. The debt problem can’t be grown out of like some politicians say, and it can’t be gotten rid of just through spending cuts, as says the right, and tax increases can only get us so far. It will require a combination of factors, and everyone will have to pitch in.

Every year that we don’t solve the problem it gets worse. Our debt/GDP ratio gets higher and higher. Yes, U.S. Treasury bond prices are higher than ever (suggesting that people are willing to purchase American debt), but that is only because we are currently the safest bet in a world that is absolutely filled with debt.

This is a problem that is going to need to be solved as soon as possible, and the sooner we start sacrificing, the sooner the debt problem will be solved.

I come from a family that is lucky enough to do well. We can afford to send me to Wash. U.; we can afford to take some amazing trips. I am lucky to live in this country. I do not deserve the things I am afforded every day. Of that I am certain. Taxation is our way of paying back. Not just for the economic opportunities that we are given but also for the basic freedoms and civil liberties we hold dear.

This country has raised me, given me opportunities, and provided for me. It has allowed me to come to my own beliefs about the world. It gives me the right to vote and speak out against my government. It offers me the economic opportunity to make my own way in the world. I love this country. I am an American through and through.

My home is in trouble. When my country can no longer afford to pay the debts it has accrued helping me make my way in the world, I have the duty and obligation to pay it back. Up to this point, it has asked for very little. I don’t have to join the military, I have to pay almost nothing in taxes because the effective rates for all tax quintiles is about four percent lower than 20 years ago, and the tax revenue as a percentage of GDP is lower than any point since the 1960s.

Yes, taxation sucks. The coming years will be difficult financially, especially considering how recent the last recession was. But this isn’t a time to balk at your obligation to serve your country. America has asked almost nothing of you to this point. Give something back. Not because you have to by law, but because this country has given you so much; it is only fair that you help out a little.