The kind of people attracted to positions of government power has shifted from public service minded types to self-serving morality-free people who would other be running ponzi schemes or auto theft rings if their parents hadn't been well off. Their desire for power over others outweighs the drawbacks of being revealed as crooks and liars. There's no illegal or unethical act their psychopathic mind isn't capable of rationalizing as being for the greater good". These types rose to prominence because