Worsening economic conditions and increasing regulatory restrictions on all aspects of economic life together necessitate that more and more persons earn some or all of their livelihood in the "underground" economy, that is, through technically illegal activities. As onerous laws and regulations proliferate, the vast majority of citizens will eventually be in technical violation of some law or regulation. It is largely for this reason that recent U. S. administrations of both major parties have experienced repeated embarrassments as they sought to nominate appointees with "clean" records. These difficulties are not so much an indication that the leaders of those administrations are politically inept, but rather a commentary on the practical necessities of living in a state-dominated society, where full compliance with governmental edicts conflicts directly with the requirements of successful human life. For this reason, authorities become capable of threatening many or most of their opponents with public exposure or legal prosecution. If technical violations of tax law can be uncovered, then the opponents may face financial ruin. The absence of an effective political opposition not only tends to render elections largely meaningless, but also permits violations of popular constitutional government and the general growth in state power to proceed unchecked.