It's also why systems like law, economics, and international relations fail. People don't care about issues which only marginally effect them, so they don't bot

It's also why systems like law, economics, and international relations fail. People don't care about issues which only marginally effect them, so they don't bother. Take pork barrelling (edit - I used a different example, but it would derail the thread). Nobody (at least, nobody who's notable for anything except being anti-pork) fights to limit it, because no-one loses a huge amount. But a small minority of wealthy vested interests do stand to gain a lot. But your point is basically correct - the systems mostly work, because people's big issues get dealt with.