“In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself. A dependence on the people is, no doubt, the primary control on the government; but experience has taught mankind the necessity of auxiliary precautions.” — James Madison, Federalist #51.Via Ace – read the whole thing:
The IRS scandal as an example of runaway organizational culture
Organizations large and small develop unique cultures over time. You see this in companies like IBM, Apple, and GM. Employees who stay in these companies over the long term, those who move up the ladder into the executive suite, tend to personify these corporate cultures to a great degree. Employees marry each other, socialize with each other, attend the same events. In company towns, this corporate culture can characterize the entirety of the town itself.
Which is why the current IRS scandal has left me completely unsurprised.