In olden days, robber barons paid off politicians rather than enter politics themselves, but now the "heroes of triumphant capitalism" understand that combining the two is far more efficient. This alone explains why no one involved in the 462 corruption cases on the books in Romania has ever been sentenced. Solomon traces the current broken system back to the 1989 revolution, when a nation relieved at finally overthrowing an oppressive regime didn't bother questioning the backgrounds of the people rising to the top.