I think part of the problem comes from the fact that stopping corruption takes effort, and when people have large differences in power relative to each other th

I think part of the problem comes from the fact that stopping corruption takes effort, and when people have large differences in power relative to each other then basic state functions deteriorate. The United States seems to have power imbalances which lead to corruption. For example, see the Jerry Epstein case in Florida: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/article220097825.html https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/article220097825.html Other examples might include the water problem in Flint, the deterioration of Detroit, or even the violence problem in South Chicago.