I'm going to start with a simple principle:
There will always be bad people, and many of those bad people will be intelligent and resourceful. We can't stop that. It's not as if these bad people are hated by all. Most are manipulative enough to convince a few others that they're doing the right thing.
By creating a system that gives such power to so few, we foster an environment that allows the most nefarious among us to have the most control. Good, honest people have little to gain from political influence, while crooks and liars see an enormous opportunity. From this, I conclude that virtually no one wants to work in Washington DC because they care about other people. They do it for their own benefit.
We have a President, VP, Congress, czars, cabinet members, etc... I don't know an accurate number, but will ballpark a few thousand people who really make things happen in DC. 3,000 people equates to 0.00097% of the population. Additionally, many of those were never elected, but rather appointed. Of those who were elected, many reach office with the endorsement (votes) of less than one-third of eligible voters. To compare that to the Shoals, it would be the equivalent of giving one person full control over Colbert and Lauderdale Counties. One person. If one person could control both counties via convincing less than one-third of eligible voters that they would be rewarded by voting for them and assisting in their election campaign, who would end up winning – the most benevolent member of the community or the crook with the most to gain?
Original Post