What would you do to give yourself an advantage?

As congress struggles with earmarks and how to police themselves. As athletes struggle to compete against someone using performance enhancers. Makes me wonder to what lengths would someone go to get an advantage,

Where is line? Is there a grey area? Would you use connections to get a job? Is that even the same thing?

Can a politician who refuses to use/get earmarks get reelected? It is a risk to stand up against something. The athlete who doesn't use performance enhancers can't compete with those who do. He/She will lose the opportunity.  

Maybe I should back up and ask a basic question. Do you think using performance enhancers is wrong? What about earmarks or pork barrel spending? I chose to tie these two together because it felt it makes the point about trying to make about giving yourself advantage. I assume most people agree that these are tough choices. Maybe you don't see a problem with a football player enhancing his workout.
Let's assume you agree these are wrong.

How do we change things so everyone can compete fairly. Do we introduce more laws, more guidelines, more drug tests etc.... Is it possible for congress to police themselves and create a law to stop themselves. Could you? Both political parties use earmarks, the majority of politicians use them. How does it stop? Once you start rationalizing and cross the line then previous things that were clearly wrong become the grey area. As you move farther away from what is right, you can rationalize more wrongs. That is the danger. 

Once earmarks became commonplace the floodgates open. You have things added to bills that have nothing whatsoever to do with the bill. And furthermore we allow our politicians to use this against one another. He didn't vote for bill xyz that gave military personnel a raise because he doesn't support them. How horrible! When in reality he was voting against an earmark. They all do it, both sides and we allow it. Just like we allow all the earmarks and deficits spending. Talk of tough cuts, taxes needed and deficit limits can cause a politician to lose elections. We aren't honest with ourselves.      

Christ says the road is narrow and to pick up your cross and follow Him.  That is were the rubber hits the road so to speak. What are we willing to give up to do the right thing? Is it easy? No. Is it doable? Yes. Anything is possible with the Lord by your side and you are confident you are doing the right thing.