I can only speak on why such a perception appears to hold. Anyone is free to spend their money in whatever manner they wish. But they cannot choose how people will percieve such actions, rational or not. The following reasons are why power tends to be associated with dishonesty:

- The hold that powerful entrenched interests have over government that only maintain a positive status-quo with respect to themselves. But negative for the long term development of society

- The offensive allowance and use of patents and litigation by powerful people with the intention to slow progress lest they become obsolete.

- The lavish displays of opulence despite the fact that people are still starving to death

- The still strong existence of classicism

- The love to hate relationship society has with divas and their transformation from normal people

- The inverse proportional relationship between net-worth and probability of proper enacting of justice

- Concentrations of power in government and finance are not typically associated with honesty. Politicians, lawyers and wall street are not held as paragons of noble behavior.

- The prevalence of dictators and corrupt rulers in developing nations

- The extravagant efforts available and taken by the extremely wealthy to minimizes the relative damage of taxes.

- The paucity of efforts like the X Prize, Gates Foundation, Planetary Resources, Space X.

- The difficulty in ensuring that money given to charities actually end up being used efficiently (powerful less needy people somehow end up getting the lion's share of this aid).

My previous boss was not lazy or idiotic, but he was very manipulative and would sell his mother to get a contract. I guess grandparent didn't mean most bosses are stupid and lazy, he meant most are greedy and won't care a dime about those people they have to throw in the sewer to achieve their selfish goals.

Was your previous boss a billionaire?