Jim: All well said. Government should not be considered just as another business. There are some big differences.

It would be nice if the people could direct the resources of government. And that may be happening to some extent. There are political forces asking for more social programs. And there are political forces asking for lower taxes. As for "raising taxes to cover the costs", that hypothesis has been thrown out with deficit financing and modern monetary theory. From what I understand, taxes, in this light, are more to with reducing demand, which becomes a control on inflation. However, I see little sign that our governments are actually running the economy with this in mind.

The various levels of government are indeed competing with each other for tax revenue. I find it obtuse that much of my town's operating budget comes from the provincial government, often with many string attached. It seems more appropriate that the town take both the raising and spending of that money.

In case you have not recognized my ulterior motive, I am advocating for a much different system of democracy. This system will likely find a better balance of taxes than our current systems.