RE: Why does power often lead to corruption?
Great post. I'm a believer that corruption is not something that people seek, but something people can only see in their rearview mirror. There often is no particular instant when the line was crossed but it happened little by little. This happens because the responsibility that comes with power often demands compromises between short-term evils and long-term goods or playing off your principles against each other. Do you accept that gift to respect a culture or do you reject it to take a hardline against the smell of bribery? This really depends.
I'm not against power; I see Lord Acton's warning as something to keep a watch against rather than a prohibition against power. Part of that watch is limiting power - particularly the more it might be abused the more narrowly defined the power should be imo.
Agreed. It's just rather funny to me when we have to spell out completely what is expected and what the limitations of power are before giving it to someone. It makes me think society as a whole has literally come to expect abuse of power and corruption. Owners have to specify in contracts what managers are expected to do or can do to try to protect themselves from law suits, but I suppose it is what it is. No easy solution in those situations.