Rousseau&#x27;s social contract, while a fine piece of work, would almost certainly advocate a monarchy for a state the size of America.  Its use here seems to be an appeal to authority, which seems odd as there are no mentions to it anywhere within our governing documents, upon which a less spurious legitimacy is bestowed.<p>Beyond that, categorizing anything as &quot;inherently legitimate&quot; is fraught with peril.  One could perhaps surmise that all things are legitimate within a democracy, but so long as the favors of the majority come at the expense of the minority, that claim is disputable.<p>Beyond that, I don&#x27;t really know that Rousseau&#x27;s contract would invalidate a North Korean government as it exists, and North Korean citizenship precludes the option of defection.<p>The biggest flaw I see with the assertion that &quot;if you want to live here, you agree to pay taxes&quot; is that there&#x27;s no opt-out policy in America as it is.  If you object to the taxation, and wish to opt out, your only path is expatriation, with its associated expatriation taxes.