Most politicians aren't trying to inflict bad policies on anyone either, they're just looking out for number one. Everyone does that incidentally, since it is human nature.

I bring up the stupendous wealth in the DC area to make that point. Other than the service industry to make all of our leaders very comfortable, the only business in the DC area is the government. There is no manufacturing or farming or mineral extraction. All of that money is coming from the taxpayers. It's a big racket. The only way to prevent that is to have vastly less government, put the people benefitting from the present bloated mess aren't going to go for that.