this post was submitted on 11 Jun 2026
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me_irl
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I disagree, they also do it at unprecedented volumes with no principles or guard rails. If every administration was this corrupt, the presidential pension wouldn’t have to needed to be created to keep Truman out of destitution. He refused to monetize the office by taking board positions or speaking gigs. Jimmy Carter would have kept control of his farm as well.
No administration is clean, but there are definitely those that have less grime than others.
The fear of public visibility was the guardrail. I definitely didn't state that each individual was complicit in the corruption, just that the rolling administrations were corrupt and I believe that whole-heartedly. Because a single guy gave up his peanut farm doesn't change the big picture.
We now have a system in which the billionaires no longer need to slow their roll to protect from repercussions because there are no repercussions any longer. That's my point, the pace of exploitation is accelerated simply because they realized it can be. If there's no downside to increasing your profit 10 fold, why would they not do that?
I agree that for some the fear was the motivation. That said, I doubt many people would have been upset with Truman if he took some speaking gigs or joined a few boards. I think that came from a place of principle.