Cmv: people who rise to the top in "public" institutions are seeking personal gain just like everyone else ("private" individuals) but are not subject to the profit and loss mechanism, so they are rarely held accountable for the damage they cause.:
"Public officials" might really be elected, though the process is hardly transparent and verifiable by most voters, but they rarely face penalties for making their bad ideas into laws that others have sworn to enforce.  This also applies to the enforcers.  If they do experience scandal for their wrongdoings, the worst that happens to them is losing the next election.  In extremely rare cases they might spend some months in the fanciest prison, whereas those who are not politically connected and do the same crime face long prison sentences.  "Public officials" take advantage of ample opportunities to accept donations from special interests in exchange for passing laws which favor the special interests.  The officials then continue to cash in on this exchange by investing in the firms they have helped to protect from competition, in addition to numerous other kickbacks; namely, lucrative "consulting" gigs and the like.  Why are most people okay with this?  Are they just ignorant of the mechanism of this political machine?