Ethics as the fall-back position

Many of us were taught that ethics are the the right sort of rules defining human behaviour. Ethics help us distinguish between right and wrong, just and unjust
Added to that, we were taught that common sense should prevail -- even if it doesn't always...

Yet, life shows us that ethics do not always prevail. Nor is common sense upheld by much of our legislation which is enacted -- as us law grads know -- to protect the haves from the have-nots and, subsidiarily, to keep the have-nots happy with confidence inspiring mass-directed services.
What with politicians' impunity (Greece), some bankers' illicit international dealings (G_Sachs), and most governments' impotence in dealing efficiently with the issues... it all gives credence to the motto, "the price of democracy is corruption".

This difference is confusing; those in the know and off the ethical bandwagon, as we learnt it, seem to reap visible benefits. All the while, the ethical lot seems to be left out of the good things in life (good, as defined on television), and this is disconcerting to say the least and most probably leads to critical personal, inner confusion.
When our our neighbour moves to more exclusive pastures on his illicit gains, the matter comes much closer to home and is even less liable to be ignored -- if anything it rankles.

Which leaves the rest of us with little to do but be patient -- or hope to join those in the know. We can complain and oppose the ethics we were taught to single the naughtiness of those of transgress these ethics. But, decent people rarely do inflict damage on others; decent people are interested in bettering a situation and would not be vindictive.

Until, one day the patience bursts. I don't think it would run out -- but burst. As the patient Romanians patience burst decades ago when they traced and tracked down the late (and largely unlamented) Mr Caesescu. There the ethics banner received star billing: and the actions, however heinous from a human standpoint, were absolved by the prevailing ethics.

Greeks must take care they do not reach the bursting point -- unless bursting is exactly what Greece needs: there is no government to speak of, the people who mismanaged the country continue to do so, chunks of the bail out package are still, allegedly, siphoned away by politicians in Ministerial office...