Comment by pembrook

Many people working in government wish they were administering a totalitarian state, and would be the beneficiary actors.

Government is a job that self-selects for people who either want safety (non elected jobs) or power (elected jobs) more than anything else, given it pays far less than the private sector. Both the safety people and the power people want to reduce public freedom and the ability to do things.

The only way we keep these people from this is the threat of voting them out of their jobs. But they are more motivated than we are, so they usually win over time.