It has been my observation that services offered at a lower level of government are generally handled with less waste and corruption than similar services offered at a higher level of government. From my experience, I would say that this is because government officials at lower levels of government are more accountable to the publica and government workers in these departments are generally more dependent on the services they provide.

An individual who has a problem with their local politician can (usually) get the attention of the local media and (relatively) powerful people and make enough "noise" to be heard by the voting public; and if enough of them hear the message they're far more likely to change their vote. In contrast, unless your issue lines-up with the narrative of the politically connected media, or you can be used as a puppet to a powerful organization, odds are against your grievance against a popular politician on the national level ever being heard.

At the same time, the workers at a local school board are likely to have children associated to them (their children, nieces or nephews, or friends kids) in the schools they're making decisions about; while the bureaucrats at a national education department will be making decisions that impact countless public schools even though their children, their family's children, and all of their friends children go to private schools.

The last point (which somehow renumbered to the first point <_>) is worth noting. The higher up you go in government, the more competent people that you find, and that local politics are VERY dependent on the kind of soft-politics that really hurts accountability "I voted for him because i know him from the golf course," that sort of thing. If they really know the person, they'll vote on the person and not on the issues, which is horribly bad for accountability.

Well, what must the politicians be accountable for? The issue with giving a government more power is that it puts a lot of responsibilities on a select few, who, in the end might not be as efficient nor as concerned as the general populace. Federalism works quite well because it separates powers, as allowed by the people, to be given to the states and the federal system. The states have powers that are more consequential to individual life, and hence are more accountable to the people. The federal government has power to enable the states to work together effectively and responsibly, and has the power to enact international relations. However; ultimately, the people responsible for most aspects of law and responsibility are those not part of the formal governments. If they want change on a matter they should decide that it is necessary and bring it up to their local government or state government, only if they can't change things themselves. Society is responsible for much of the topics addressed in our political systems, and society is not the same thing as the state nor the federation. Society is the decision and governance of the people over themselves and the decision to cooperatively work towards a goal, only by freedom of choice and not by demand or force. If they haven't got the resources, then they can do two things: allocate the resources, or more efficiently and realistically implement their ideas. Taking the resources from others, via massive taxes or some other means, is not a solution because it implies inefficiency or selfishness.

This is an incredible essay on government accountability written by a smart mf it's all I can add right.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/78954101/The-Real-Reason-for-SOPA-PIPA-And-the-NDAA-Provisions

It may not be perfect but it's actually hard to put private companies to account. Just look at the cock up over the horse meat found in Tesco's burgers recently or even the tax avoidance from companies like amazon and Starbucks.

Unfortunately, modern governments aren't any better, with constant corruption and a lack of accountability. Just look at the expenses scandal of 2009, it proves it all. Despite that, government should have some control of some services like Healthcare, Education, Energy and Infrastructure which compete with private alternatives. If anything, politicians are corrupt because too much money is involved and get away with not doing what is best for their voters. If enough people are unhappy with there MP, they should at least have the opportunity to vote them out.

The lack of education on these issues and public awareness only makes the situation worse. As people, tend to vote for the same party all their lives regardless of what happens. How can you expect real change that way?
You have some good points though