Politicians are only as bad as the citizens that vote them in. If the people want more "public services" and more "welfare", the politicians have an incentive to deliver exactly that.

And contrary to myth, no, all that spending does not go to "the military-industrial complex".

https://cdn.nostrcheck.me/82bdee506e769ebc94ee2f362d07c1960dce40bac650d826a42f8e0c019c3c96/bb813ce0628160dd4c677c35118ca6bf3a6818ba98a351b2979d79b2e3695a03.webp