Well, isn't power always corrupting? Consider the sex that would occur in a marriage where the wife has no skills or earning potential (so she must submit to

Well, isn't power always corrupting? Consider the sex that would occur in a marriage where the wife has no skills or earning potential (so she must submit to the husband's will or become effectively homeless if he divorces her). Entrenched power in a group of >2 people works the same way. In the case of the US Government, most Americans don't seriously consider any other country of residence, so our leaders get away with all sorts of disgraceful acts. Without competition there will always be corruption. Due to a fluke of the geography and history of the US, it has been difficult for the central government to get all that strong. In the past it had to do things like build out cities over marsh land (New Orleans) or provide useful services (like the post office, railways). But now that it has a hold on power, our entitlement system is broken and most of the tax dollars flow to special interests (the military, oil industry, healthcare, finance). So I think your observation is true, but due to a more general principle... which is the innate brutality of all humans when granted power over others.