Naive response on multiple levels. An ad hominem implies that the criticism is superficial or irrelevant to the main issue. Money is the main cause from a realist point of view, not an accessory. Money waiting to be made is the first item in the chain of causation for many (most?) government projects.<p>The outline: problem in government that can be solved -&gt; contractor group identifies problem -&gt; contractor group contacts their lobbyist -&gt; lobbyist lobbies government at right points -&gt; contractor group gets contract to solve problem for far more $ than the problem is worth (usually) -&gt; lobbyist can now find another job for the contractors as soon as they identify another problem.<p>Ask qui bono, ruthlessly. Follow the money from branch to root. Do some research on where the money is ending up, and you&#x27;ll find who set the process in motion via corruption.<p>On a side note, Americans will never feel safe because there is a pervasive circus of media and behavioral memes which encourage fearfulness and paranoia. Have you ever seen the nightly news? Have you ever talked with a mom? We could be sitting alone in sterile jail cells, and people would still worry that the jail cell being cold might give us pneumonia.