After socioeconomic norms have been obliterated we suddenly expect them to function when we want to transact?

And this is why bribable, self-dealing politicians are bad for business in general. While a few mega-conglomerates and billionaires at the top can get political favors (and have recourse when they’re not forthcoming) the rest of the businesses are really looking for a clime with consistent laws that are evenly enforced.

The corruption isn’t a feature of the system, it’s a sickness, and explains why thr antebellum South and the Jim Crow South were underdeveloped compared to its northern counterparts.