Part of the reason they do it... is people don't do anything about it. They just accept it for what it is. They don't want to disrupt the "norm", they are content.
And you are absolutely right... what do they NEED!
We have so many distractions and other things going on in our lives, most people don't even pay attention to politics, and most can't even comprehend the amount of money that is being spent and the budgets, so they just stay out of it. Gone are the days were most every citizen took part and understood their government. They have given us enough distractions with sports, Hollywood, music, etc... to keep us distracted. Orwellian Nation to a T