To the government, I am a 'taxpayer'...

It has always bothered me that in all American political discourse, I, as a native-born resident of this nation, am referred to not as a 'citizen', but as a 'taxpayer'. We only want to provide government services to 'taxpayers', not to 'those lazy bums who don't earn their living above-board'.

Does that mean we should be taught in elementary school to be 'good taxpayers'? Should we strip out civics classes in favor of economics? Will the DAR publish manuals for 'taxpayership'? (Or would they leave that to the Taxpayers League?)

The terminology is especially strange given that most people's objective seems to be to avoid paying taxes.