Why is there corruption in Government?
The answer is found in Bastiat's essay, The Law.
Bastiat was a Frenchman of the 19th century and perhaps no one has set down the philosophical argument for Freedom against Socialism better than Bastiat in that essay.
A year ago I spent some time lightly editing the on-line English translation to simplify Bastiat's message and make it more compelling to read. I also cut out sections on Universal Sufferage that was irrelevant to my purpose.
You can download my version of The Law in Microsoft Word format here.
The long and short of his message is:
When plunder becomes a way of life for a group of men in a society, over the course of time they create for themselves a legal system that authorizes it and a moral code that glorifies it. ― Frédéric Bastiat
Reconcile that with Ayn Rand's observation; "When the law no longer protects you from the corrupt, but protects the corrupt from you - you know your nation is doomed."
So again, why do we elect corruptible representatives?