Exactly. It's a battle you will never win, but must never concede either.

Corruption and waste have always been there and probably always be, it's an almost inevitable part of the political process. Too much waste, or too much pork for the wrong people triggers the wrath of too many other folks so it will always achieve a balance point. The key is to keep the balance point as far towards the lean side as possible. This is why we need ethical people voting (and serving in government, heaven forbid), and where enlightened self-interest is so important...what's best for you in the short-term may actually be detrimental to you (and everyone else) in the long run.

Government is inherently evil. In the US the vast majority of folks IN the government are actually well-intentioned (unlike some totalitarian regimes), but put them all together as an entity and it is the nature of the beast that it will seek to serve it's own self-interest before the interests of the governed. Of course government is a necessary evil...you can't do without it in a modern industrial society. It's kind of like chemotherapy...you need enough to get the job done, but even that much is toxic so you sure as hell don't want any more than absolutely required.