cor·rup·tion
kəˈrəpSH(ə)n/
noun
1.
dishonest or fraudulent conduct by those in power, typically involving bribery.
“the journalist who wants to expose corruption in high places”
synonyms: dishonesty, unscrupulousness, double-dealing, fraud, fraudulence, misconduct, crime, criminality, wrongdoing; More
2.
the process by which something, typically a word or expression, is changed from its original use or meaning to one that is regarded as erroneous or debased.
synonyms: alteration, bastardization, debasement, adulteration
“these figures have been subject to corruption”

It is an inarguable proposition that our government and political system are corrupt. It is a revolving merry-go-round, a veritable carousel full of corrupt riders and as soon as one steps off, another just as corrupt steps on.

As I watch the two major party candidates on the stump, I am gobsmacked by the mendacity and perfidy of both of them. What a terrible choice it is to make when you have to choose the candidate who is less mendacious because the other is a statolatrist (one who literally worships government) and if she is elected, will have the destructive power of government behind her.

The 2016 electoral choices are unpleasant but the fact remains that when there is an alignment between a corrupt leader and a corrupt government, total devastation is possible – in this alignment, the public becomes the direct enemy of the allied corrupt leader and government. To the contrary, when a corrupt leader has a different agenda to the corrupt organization, there is a sort of control that develops as these two forces struggle for dominance, in this scenario the public becomes somewhat of a bystander and is only subject to the collateral damage of struggle for control and the limited agendas where the the leader and government agree.

I look at Hillary Clinton and think, “How can you live with yourself? How can you not collapse at the feet of the American public and beg forgiveness for your twisted existence?” I look at Trump and think, “This pay for play, cronyist, prevaricating pseudo-Republican is our nominee? How is that better than what we have now?”

It would seem that there are supremely frustrated with this condition but to bring an end to it, we have to understand what causes it.

• Leaders cannot be leaders unless they have the agreement of followers.
• Corrupt leaders cannot remain in power unless they are kept there by corrupt followers.
• Corruption in organizations is endemic – when the leader of a corrupt organization falls, they are always replaced by another corrupt leader.
• Corrupt leaders can remain in power over a moral, honest and law-abiding public only as long as the public is apathetic.
• Corrupt leaders can be deposed by an active moral, honest and law-abiding public.

The degree of corrupt leadership is directly related to what the public is willing to accept. That is where the change must begin. That’s how we stop the carousel. Then we all can get off.