by Jack Gleason, American Thinker:

Most people think “government” is just something that runs in the background.  We pay taxes once a year (or four times a year, or…), and for that we get our roads paved, police come when we really need them, and our kids have schools to go to.

This is a view from the 1950s that has persisted for the last 70 years.  “Focus on our families, and let our elected leaders do their jobs.”

America is the richest country in the world, and, sadly, there are people who want to take advantage of our wealth for their own benefit.  The money we spend on just roads and schools is enormous ($206 billion and $927 billion in 2022), so the contracts awarded for government work are highly coveted.  So those who do government work will often make campaign contributions to office-seekers in hopes of getting lucrative business deals.