My point is that there probably isn't a state of active fear of the government for most people, as in they're literally cowering in a corner. Of course, this is nearly literally true for some people today (like Edward Snowden) and has been literally true for lots of people in certain governments in recent history.
But anyway, despite there not being an active fear for most people, there certainly would be an immediate fear upon receiving word from the IRS, because the tax system is so hopelessly complex that every single filer is almost certainly guilty of violating some law.
Yeah I agree with everything you're saying here. I still think the parent's claim is absolutely absurd (that the USPS tracks mail in order to perpetuate a culture of mass fear and create income inequality).
