>>I prefer to look at these things in realistic way. It means, besides few other considerations, that 'common sense accounting rules' do not work with any government. Going a bit more specific, democratically-elected form of government will not comply with accounting rules primarily because it needs to be re-elected, i.e. pandering to common good issues will force it to bend the accounting. Other forms of government will bend accounting too just by different reasons.
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>In other words, they commit fraud so they get elected.
If you look at the thread, you will see that my point in regard to fraud issue was exactly the opposite.
In democracy every mainstream political force, and even most fringes, promise good times to everybody, or to majority at least, and when elected they are supposed to make good on some promises at least. This process may come in contradiction with 'common sense accounting', as Robert formulated it, and in many cases electionary process, which goes uninterrupted, takes preference. That's just the fact of real life, so I would not use the word 'fraud' to identify it.
Edward Pikman
Independent Consultant