"They consider it something of a sacred right to do this. The idea behind it is when a government needs to be afraid of its people, and to count on them for re-election, then they will take the best care of them they can."

Random sets his fork down, and concentrates on explaining properly.

"Which has benefits. A leader should have the care of his kingdom above all else. But what a society wants and what they need sometimes differ, and so it does not always work out for the best."