Parasitism of the -isms

Empires bought stability at the price of creating a parasitic court; monotheistic religions bought social cohesion at the expense of a parasitic priestly class; nationalism bought power at the expense of a parasitic military; socialism bought equality at the price of a parasitic bureaucracy; capitalism bought efficiency at the price of parasitic financiers.

quoted in John Tierney's NYT review of Matt Ridley's new book, the Rational Optimist. I like this way of thinking. It helps to explain why society has not ever discovered a perfect social organization. Inherent in each approach is a tendency that undermines its performance in the long run. I would add that pro-labour policies also run the risk of parasitism by militant or obstructionist unions.