Chuckanut
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
So, how could the government back then finance anything? It's a conundrum.
Perhaps not.
A few things we didn't finance back then if my history is right
The world's most powerful standing army
Assorted wars on foreign soil that go on for decades (Iraq cost a Trillion dollars IIRC)
Safety net social programs to help the poor
School lunches (gotta soak up the excess farm production)
War on Terror
Ethanol in gasoline (gotta keep those corn farmers in Iowa happy)
Long lived retired folks who collect SS for decades (Yikes, that's us!)
Medical care for those old folks (Yikes again!)
But, I know what you mean about people who complain about taxes. I had a coworker who complained constantly about high taxes in my state. He had four kids in public school at about $10,000 a year for each kid. Where did he think the money for that came from? Perhaps an overly generous Tooth Fairy? I can assure you he did not pay $40,000+ in taxes.