Like the campaign contributions made by people looking for government grants for stem-cell research, federal money spent on union contracts in local school districts, large corporate farms who would rather hire cheap illegal stoop labor than buy machines to replace those workers, etc.
And, as an American, I have never understood why the British continue to fund the royal family, which has not had a useful purpose since they stopped being material for Monty Python. I guess everybody has a bad spending habit. :)
It is also a protection racket. Ask Bill Gates what happens to you if you don't play the political game and your business competitors do.
I always thought that there should be a limit on campaign spending. A much lower limit. Then we could see who can do the best job of budgeting and getting the most for their buck. And who might do the best job of getting the most for spending federal monies.
To answer your last point which from the smilie at the end I realise is partly toungue in cheek. The Royal Family although some may say what function do they have (constitutionally they do have as the Queen is our head of State) you only have to read a few posts on FR when the Royals make a visit to realise they are very popular even in American.
They make millions probably billions for our tourist industry for one thing. How many Americans coming to Britain want to see the changing of the guard or visit a Royal Palace.