A problem with corruption at the top is that eventually we all get the signal and become grifters, too. Can't make it any other way. I have no expert opinion on what combination of cultural norms, criminal laws, tort system, etc... maintain an equilibrium in which we aren't all trying to con each other all the time, but I think that equilibrium is not necessarily a permanent one. And I don't really want to live in a society where everything is a hustle. Not every interaction should be a nightmare used care salesman scenario.
