I love you--you pay my rent

Why does it seem to surprise people so much that government corruption exists? Influence-peddling has existed for as long as humans have existed. Just take a look at the forming of alliances via marriage throughout cultures. The most valuable brides and grooms were not so because of their abilities or because of any emotional reasons...it was because of how much land their family owned or how many cows they had.

Forming an alliance with a powerful family by giving them something of value (a daughter or son with a dower or a bride-price) was supposed to secure your family's future and get an edge, if necessary, over the other families if things got tough. As a result, wouldn't it be logical to think that people with this attitude survived to pass it along to the next generation? So now, thousands of years after the practice started, of course lobbyists and corporations are going to try getting favors from those in power by paying money or taking them on trips to Scotland to play golf or taking them to US protectorate with their families for tropical vacations so they will protect the slave-labor-like manufacturing and prostitution industries there from prosecution. Hell, some lobbyists for major naughty industries even marry the politicians they originally met to influence...is this just a throwback to the arranged power-play marriage? hrmmmm?

We all do it. Just look at the simple personal politics of gift-giving at birthdays or around the holidays. Where should the line really be drawn though?

Can a line really be drawn and stuck to completely?

And, most importantly, how do you know who is really your friend and who is just keeping in touch with you just in case you can prove to be of use to them in the future for a monetary, emotional, or physical pay-off? hrmmmmm?