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Depth of corruption
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Oh, my. As I've said in other threads, corruption is legal in America. Because of a Supreme Court decision, wealthy people can buy politicians, even presidents. That's one reason people voted for Trump: He didn't need money from special interests. People here are very angry about the Supreme Court decision to allow special interests to buy politicians legally. It's just wrong, wrong, wrong in a country that calls itself a democracy.
You have corruption, nepotism or just friend of a friend everywhere. Sometimes, its money, blackmail or just helping someone. Pure meritocracy is almost impossible and against human nature. Is it corrupt to give my son a job against better qualified candidates (just an example) or human nature is that corruption or do we just mean bribery with material things.Is a religious leader offering a better after life corruption (if you believe in those things) in return for a donation to the church?
Philip wrote: "Is a religious leader offering a better after life corruption (if you believe in those things) in return for a donation to the church? ..."Maybe - a deceit, maybe not - but once revealed it's usually a little late for asking the money back
I disagree that the nepotism Philip mentions, at least in small companies, is corruption. Hiring someone is a very important decision, and while someone else might be more qualified, you don't know how reliable they are. I limit my idea of corruption to that applying to people granted power by society.My guess is it is everywhere, but it tends to be a lot smaller in many western countries. The awarding of state contracts is often questionable, however, in New Zealand at least, there have been prosecutions for corrupt practices, and jail time tends to limit the scale of whatever goes on to a relatively minor amount. The important thing is to show that when uncovered, it is punished seriously.
Ian wrote: "I disagree that the nepotism Philip mentions, at least in small companies, is corruption. Hiring someone is a very important decision, and while someone else might be more qualified, you don't know..."Ian - not totally against nepotism but recent concern in UK about children of friends getting internships which then lead on to good jobs ahead of candidates just applying on merit. Small family firms are just that family firms (I grew up on a family farm).
In big corporations I have seen many roles given to friends rather than applicants - yes I appreciate that you need to trust colleagues. Completely concur on the Government contracts not just big ones but planning development are often open to corruption from house extensions to plots of land suddenly being freed for houses with no change in public policy. As the planning decision is often subjective on the merits of the application - false influence leads to suspicion.
Punishment to discourage others must be obvious but from insider dealing to fraud white collar tends to have lower sentences and consequences.
Scout wrote: "Oh, my. As I've said in other threads, corruption is legal in America. ..."It would be more fashionable to call it "laundered" :) Looks like the popular demand for "integrity" and "impeccable reputation" about politicians is on decline too..
I agree. But the more I think about it, I'm sure that the people have no power to change anything with the vote. Things are already decided by those who have the money to put pols in office. What's a vote worth in that case?
Scout wrote: "I agree. But the more I think about it, I'm sure that the people have no power to change anything with the vote. Things are already decided by those who have the money to put pols in office. What's..."Yes, and from here the feeling of phoniness: the democracy is being presented as the system where the majority decides through representation or directly (in Switzerland sometimes), however in reality - it's a very small minority, who calls the shots. Yet, vote and public opinion matter, in some countries more, in some - less, and maybe not decisively, but they do. The show must be maintained. Working with a popular support, even if based on false ideas and facts, is much easier than against it. Often they neglect people's needs and interests, some despise them as primitive simpletons, but deep down most fat cats feel instinctively they need to keep the face and not to step over the line :)
If you remember Merrick Garland, he was the Obama Supreme Court nominee whose nomination Mitch McConnell refused to advance in the hopes that Trump would win the White House and get to nominate a conservative to fill the seat, and now he's Biden's Attorney General.https://www.zerohedge.com/political/c...
His daughter married the founder of an educational service company selling CRT materials to school systems across the country. with parents increasingly fighting CRT in their childrens' schools, Merrick Garland has just used the Justice Department in an attempt to chill their complaints and protests.
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justic...
According to the Attorney General’s memorandum, the Justice Department will launch a series of additional efforts in the coming days designed to address the rise in criminal conduct directed toward school personnel. Those efforts are expected to include the creation of a task force, consisting of representatives from the department’s Criminal Division, National Security Division, Civil Rights Division, the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys, the FBI, the Community Relations Service and the Office of Justice Programs, to determine how federal enforcement tools can be used to prosecute these crimes, and ways to assist state, Tribal, territorial and local law enforcement where threats of violence may not constitute federal crimes.
The Justice Department will also create specialized training and guidance for local school boards and school administrators. This training will help school board members and other potential victims understand the type of behavior that constitutes threats, how to report threatening conduct to the appropriate law enforcement agencies, and how to capture and preserve evidence of threatening conduct to aid in the investigation and prosecution of these crimes.
While it sounds like they're addressing a legitimate problem, remember these kinds of things are normally handled by local law enforcement, so he's sending a message of intimidation towards those parents by involving federal law enforcement. Also keep in mind, "intimidation" could be as simple as an irate parent who continues speaking at a school board meeting when a school board member tries to end their time at the mic. The vague nature of the memo means any parent who speaks out on their child's education could be reported for "harassing" and "intimidating" the educators.
The way I read that is he is trying to enforce the law. He might be trying to federalise some things that states hold as theirs, but enforcing the law should not be considered as intimidation, surely?
Now that Biden has angered the world, Hunter's art career is attracting the attention of more journalists.https://youtu.be/cIFtswpBw7w
What you need to get noticed in this world!
Don't worry. They'll forget about it soon enough. How many people remember that the Saudis used a hacksaw to dismember a journalist in their own embassy?
Leaving aside the use of a hacksaw, I rather thought quite a few. It is just that politicians wanting their country to sell things to the Saudis tend to have convenient forgetfulness.
And who can ignore one of the grandest of corrupt behavior of them all? Sexual abuse by priests -- a cover up spanning the decades. French report just released two days ago that 330,000 children abused by 3,000 priests in France over the past 70 years. The head of the French Bishops conference has asked for forgiveness. Really?? 80% were young boys. Prison should be these priests' retirement home.
I think there are basically three kinds of corruption:1. "Legal" corruption that weights the system toward the extremely wealthy - the tax loopholes, the fact that they can afford high bail, a "legal team" of expensive lawyers if they get into legal problems and basically access to events that put them next to powerful people.
2. Illegal corruption - blatant violations of the law.
3. Nepotism - Where you can give your kids advantages in jobs, connections, etc not because of their talents but because of your own power and wealth. Many people might not think of this as corruption, but I think you corrupt the way things are supposed to work when you put an unskilled relative in a position that should go to a more skilled, but less rich and famous candidate.
Colleen wrote: "Prison should be these priests' retirement home...."If true - for sure
Barbara wrote: "I think there are basically three kinds of corruption:1. "Legal" corruption that weights the system toward the extremely wealthy - the tax loopholes, the fact that they can afford high bail, a "l..."
Well categorized, Barbara. Personally and in some circumstances, I don't see much difference between lobbying and bribing
I don't see the nepotism as a fault IF the boss who gives his children good jobs owns the business. When he goes, THEY will own the business so it can be seen as training for management, and anyway if you have built it up and it is yours surely you can do what you like with it as a property right.If it is a public company, appointing incompetents is taking from the stock-holders so it is their job to fire the miscreant, surely. So I don't see it as corruption. It can illustrate incompetence and stupidity, but there is plenty of that around elsewhere.
Nik said, "Personally and in some circumstances, I don't see much difference between lobbying and bribing."Well said, Nik.
Scout wrote: "Oh, my. As I've said in other threads, corruption is legal in America. Because of a Supreme Court decision, wealthy people can buy politicians, even presidents. That's one reason people voted for T..."I agree that special interest groups shouldn't be able to buy an office. On the other hand, how many special interest groups held events on Trump's properties during his campaign and presidency? Special interest groups donated in record amounts to Trumps inauguration fund.
Corruption can be legal and I don't see any higher office being immune from that, regardless of party affiliations.
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/inter...
I don't have any statistics on how much Trump received vs. Biden. I'd be interested if anyone has that info.
“So if we lie to the government, it’s a felony. But if they lie to us it's politics.”- Bill Murray
When the purity police entirely miss the point.
https://www.politifact.com/factchecks...
If anyone's interested there is a corruption index, evaluated yearly and encompassing most countries:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corrupt...
Interesting. Ukraine beats Russia in the rankings, but not by much.I suppose I should show a little glow over NZ's ranking :-)
Interesting chart. I wonder how far perception is from actual. I guessed 65 for the USA before I looked at the pretty pictures and charts.
I think the idea of corruption is interesting, but I think there is huge difference between CORRUPTION and corruption. I think it may be nothing more than definitions.
Andrew Tate explains why he moved to Romania (CAUTION: EXPLICIT LYRICS):https://www.tiktok.com/@youtube._..cl...
I agree that the high echelons are seriously corrupted, but I think it's a wrong conclusion that a solution lies in making corruption accessible to all instead of aiming at eradicating it...
This is how corrupt they are.Ghislaine Maxwell is on suicide watch but isn't suicidal, may need to postpone sentencing, lawyer says
https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/25/us/ghi...
The few names that we know are in her little black book are damning. An heir to the British throne, former Presidents of the USA, a former Prime Minister of the UK, a former Prime Minister of Israel, numerous captains of finance and industry...
Maxwell will turn up dead, like her lover, and it will all just go away. Just like it has before.
A ‘big political cover-up’ of 1980s pedophile-ring in U.K. Parliament?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/m...
If you confront them about it, you'll be labeled a "conspiracy theorist". Your reputation will be destroyed. You'll become a pariah. And they will carry on with their vile delights.
Bonne nuit.
Every once in a while corruption events surface and justice is delivered, however more often it's quelled by any means early on, ignored or covered up well before getting "dangerous". We regularly see only a tip of the corruption iceberg. At the same time lay(wo)men in the West are convinced their countries are more or less "clean" and based on these beliefs and societal aversion towards it the corruption is rarer at mid/lower levels.
The problem with the higher levels is they tend to control the news and the politicians are too reliant on them, which is in itself a form of corruption.
The West is assumed to be much more 'cleaner' from the corruption disease. However, every once in a while we hear scandals, charges, resignations, convictions and so on at the top echelon of almost every Western society.
The charges differ and it's not only corruption in its narrow sense, but the magnitude and seniority of the positions makes one think.
Just a few examples: French leading candidate was effectively derailed over corruption accusations (them being checked, so he can be innocent, of course), Iceland Prime Minister resigning after Panama papers, German President Wulff quit over corruption claims, UK and US 'boast' not negligible lists on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...
Taking into account that corruption crimes are often 'invisible' and white collar crimes sometimes have lower detection and solutions rates than crimes involving violence, property and others, what comes to public knowledge may be just a tip of the iceberg.
What do you think is the real dimension of corruption?