Jobe7,

Thanks for you honest opinion.

The difference really boils down to formalism and informalism. Or the difference between a price to be paid for a service and a bribe to be paid for the same.

In situation 1, the price for a good is very clearly laid out and printed in the open. The good is available for anyone who can pay the price.
In situation 2, the price is nominally very low, but the good is often in shortage and somehow, it is only those politically well connected  or those who bribe the keeper, who seem to get access to it.

Situation 1 is the free market and Situation 2 is every socialist license permit raj that has existed.

The situation in contemporary democracies is similar. Nominally everyone is the same. Politicians are guided by the popular appeal and secretly, whatever the lobbyists tell them to do. The policies that result are complicated, filled with exceptions for the lobbyists.

I am not saying that the taxpayers oligarchy is foolproof. But the greatest political power will be with the highest taxpayers and that is a good thing, those who provide the money that the governments works with. The taxpayers ar bthe honest rich. We want to encourage the honest rich and discourage the dishonest rich.