Except when there’s no more gravy to give out.
Every politician in history knows this. But they also know that the consequences can usually be put off until after they leave office. Then their successors are stuck with finding a way to deal with the mess they have inherited. And their typical solution has been to make it an even bigger mess by postponing it for the next gang of politicians to deal with.
At some point, this ponzi scheme will run out. But hope springs eternal in the political breast. Just put it off a LITTLE longer, if there's any way on earth of doing so, and let someone else deal with it.