There is a scene in a French documentary in which a former Dassault boss displays his vintage wine collection as one of his many tools to ease arms supply deals with various nations. When the journalist asked him if it really works like this he responded, “Of course, because men are pigs!”
Reminded me of a bit from the GOAT political comedy Yes, Prime Minister:
"But he's the Prime Minister!"
"Indeed he is Bernard. He has his own car, a nice house in London, a place in the country, endless publicity and a pension for life. What more does he want?"
"Tobacco-related diseases cost the NHS £150 million per year!"
"Yes we've looked into that, it turns out that if those people had survived they would have cost us billions in pensions and healthcare costs! From a financial perspective, it's vastly preferable that they continue to die at the current rate."
I would not have chosen the word governing for that sentence but I'm not sure what fits best. Plundering, pillaging, gutting, ransacking, Rick rolling, despoilng, or perhaps molesting.
