How much are you getting back?

I was doing my taxes the other day and I found out to my surprise that I was $350 in debt. Mind you, this was the first time I had done my taxes so I was completely in shock. So I asked my dad to help me figure out my problem and he did some mathematical stuff on the back and let me know that I was owed $32.00. Now, most people would be completely angry at how little they had made that year...but after my big scare of owing money I DID NOT have (because my most recent job apparently doesn't have enough hours to share with all their employees), I would have been happy to know that I was going to get $5.00. But what I really don't understant, is how the government can expect us to pay thousands of dollars each year in taxes, when gas prices are increasing every day, and daily expenses are skyrocketing. What makes it even worse is the fact that our government is billions of dollars in debt, and now the future generations (us) are going to have to pay that off, and we will have no money for retirement plans, or money to spend on things this country REALLY needs!