Google and run of site links

[lfgoal]

I know of a website that occupies top positions in google and yahoo for a fairly competitive niche. I first noticed this site about 2 years ago when it begn buying run of site links on large and reputable websites (the sort you might find on TLA). At the time, the common wisdom was that run of site links were risky. Today, I noticed that the site in question has moved from postion number #6 on page one to position #3 on page one. I checked its links in yahoo. Still using the same run of site advertising links. I checked its link sample in google and found that it has purchased even more run of site links.

Just as I did a couple years ago, I decided to sift through the various webmaster forums and found that many so-called experts still warn about the dangers of run of site links and espouse the wisdom that run of site links can "boomerang on you". That's not what I've seen and, as I said, I've been watching this one site for a couple of years.

My own opinions are as follows:

1. Run of site links can be used to propel sites to the top. I've personally watched and witnessed it.

2. Google should not allow run of site links to so easily manipulate their algorithm. Yet they so clearly do.

3. I find it very irritating that--while I slave over link acquisition, spending literally hundreds of hours locating "related" sites from which to request links--some other bozo can simply buy 50,000 (I'm not making that number up) links, let them mature, and climb to the top.

Question for the forum: how does allowing this to happen benefit the web and web users? Question for the forum: doesn't this just make a pure mockery of the notion of links counting as democratic votes if a site can simply buy its way to top rankings?