Just to make it clear, while I agree with the idea of a tax-funded government, I do have issues with specific implementations of this idea, the US budget being

Just to make it clear, while I agree with the idea of a tax-funded government, I do have issues with specific implementations of this idea, the US budget being one of them. Your Mafia example is spurious, as it's not subject to elections. A democratic government only exists by the consent of the governed. I do not think that corporations or organized crime have taxing authority.