> why don't people just vote with their money It would be really great if that was possible. However, we can't simply buy "$1 worth of helping poor nations" in

> why don't people just vote with their money It would be really great if that was possible. However, we can't simply buy "$1 worth of helping poor nations" in the way we buy products in the supermarket. And that's why we can't "vote" with our money. (The appearance of micro payments might change that, though.) So we have to trust some organization with the money, and that leads to exactly the same issues of trust. However, the government is under greater pressure and control than most other organizations. Or, at least they should, in a democracy. So trusting them with the money is not worse than trusting any other help organization with the money - except, of course, when you know the people of the help organization personally. But most people don't have such connections.