Hey @silver-hammer, interesting post. I have to take issue though with one statement you made

This was back in the early years when corruption was small and basically unheard of.

I believe this is incorrect. In the 1800s politicians were extremely corrupt and it is well documented. During the construction of the transcontinental railroad in the 1800s politicians large and small were on the take. If you have a minute read this chapter titled Robber Barons and Rebels from the book A PEOPLE'S HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES by Howard Zinn

And just for fun here is a disgusting story about JP Morgan, some corrupt congressmen, and a federal judge.

J. P. Morgan had started before the war, as the son of a banker who began selling stocks for the railroads for good commissions. During the Civil War, he bought five thousand rifles for $3.50 each from an army arsenal and sold them to a general in the field for $22 each. The rifles were defective and would shoot off the thumbs of the soldiers using them. A congressional committee noted this in the small print of an obscure report, but a federal judge upheld the deal as the fulfillment of a valid legal contract.

It makes me sick to point this out because I want to believe the government has our best interest at heart, however, they have proven time and time again that this is not the case and it hurts my heart every time. Stay alert out there @silver-hammer and keep stackin'!!