If You Know Low Level Government People, You Get an Edge

Even if the low level government person you know is your mostly useless cousin Vinny, who works for the TSA.

NBC News reports:

The Transportation Security Administration investigated and closed 9,622 cases of employee misconduct between the years 2010 and 2012, according to a report released Tuesday by the Government Accountability Office.

The figure marked a 26 percent increase in misconduct cases in a three-year period[...]

In one case mentioned in the GAO report, an employee left an assigned checkpoint to help a family member get a bag—later found to contain "numerous prohibited items"—past screening. The employee was suspended for seven days, according to the report.

When government creates power centers, those who know operators in the power structure have an edge.