Are you suggesting if I copied all your bank records I haven't done any harm because you still retain the originals?

Destruction isn't the point. The point is that something paid with public money isn't available for the public's use. You have no rights to any object just because you pay taxes.

A government levies taxes and through appropriation spends that money. If a park is built, then fine use it. If a tank is built, then too bad that's not your tank.

I thought we were talking about source code by an entity funded by tax payers. Is that the same as a person's private bank records?

Your argument doesn't make sense for source code created by a tax funded entity. It makes sense for private information, or a publicly funded physical object, but this not either of those. I have a hard time believing you don't realize this, why even argue the point? Do you really think someone shouldn't have access to source code payed for by their own taxes?

Yes, that is what I believe. I do not believe paying taxes confers ownership/access/etc over products produced with said tax dollars.