The Roman senator and historian Tacitus is famous for this observation:
Now that President-elect Trump has a team working out what executive orders he can cancel at the stroke of a pen, and another meeting with Republican representatives to work out how to reform the creaking, outdated, overly complex tax code . . . perhaps, if our laws become less numerous, we may hope for the US government to become less corrupt?
Let's hope so, anyway!
Peter
5 comments:
Corruption is like rust. There's no going back. One must grind it away till solid metal is reached, and then protect it.
Sulla had one solution to excessive bureaucracy, Caesar had another. It is worth noting the long term success of each policy and to observe which dictator lived into retirement.
Trying to change government is like driving a '55 Buick with Dynaflow. Stomp on the gas and it's like putting your foot in a custard pie...
There will always be government corruption because there will always be corrupt people; with so much money sloshing around unattended government becomes a corruption magnet. Reduce the size, capacity and expense of government and the corruption will be reduced, and what corruption remains will be more easily identified.
Anon:
Many years ago, there was an article on Reason to exactly that effect, that the reason our early government had little corruption was not due to better men, but rather to less governmental reach, and thus less opportunity for corruption.
I'd be deeply appreciative for any help in finding that article again.
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