Unfortunately, considering this exact sentence shows up in every discussion on forms of government and modes of economy it isn't a easy problem to solve.

Agreed – I don't claim it's simple. What I mean is roughly this: greed is bad, but it's even worse when combined with dishonesty.

Sorry, I never meant to imply you thought the solution was simple, just lamenting the fact that greed + dishonesty (+ stupidity if we're being thorough) is such a universal problem with untold amounts of time and energy dedicated to debatable mitigation but no real solution in sight.

I can tolerate, and even respect an honest cheat. But a lying cheat has a special place in hell.

Related: “It’s a miracle any of this works. People were involved.”

At a certain scale those who are dishonest have a competitive advantage over those who are not. So they win.