Political parties seen as most corrupt public institutions says new Transparency Int. poll-BBC

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Map, which countries pay the most bribes.

7/9/13, "Corruption getting worse, says poll," BBC

"Nor is it simply about discreetly folding money into an official's palm. It is political parties, "the driving force of democracies", as TI (Transparency International) calls them, which are perceived to be the most corrupt public institution.

That is, in large part, because corruption is not just about bribery. Almost two out of three people say they believe personal relationships are what help get things done in the public sector - one in two say their government is largely or completely run by special interest groups.

And the smell does not just hang around emerging democracies or economies. A sentence in the Boston Globe two months ago made me do a double-take - newly elected Democrat members of the House of Representatives were told by their party "to devote at least four hours a day to the tedious task of raising money". 

You may argue that that is not corruption. It is an open trawl. There are rules against offering a clear quid pro quo. But the TI survey finds that people in the US, as with the UK, believe corruption is growing. And in the UK, while - full disclosure here - it's the media who are seen as the most venal sector of public life, they're run a close second by political parties....

More than 200 years ago, the great political thinker Edmund Burke warned that "among a people generally corrupt, liberty cannot long exist". If that is right, corruption deserves more than a tut or a shrug."

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5/12/13, "For freshman in Congress, focus is on raising money," Boston Globe, Tracy Jan

"New members get the message quickly or they’re gone. It’s a fact of life in a gridlocked capital."

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Comment: Not mentioned is that greatest potential for political corruption in the US exists via the fourth, unelected branch of government, the regulatory agencies, which have the same authority as law. In 2011, the US issued 3807 new regulations and only 81 new laws:

7/22/12, "The Cost Of Government Regulation: $1.75 Trillion," Zero Hedge

"From Bill Buckler, author of The Privateer, The Cost Of "Intervention"

"In 2011, the US Congress passed a total of 81 new “laws” while government agencies issued 3,807 new regulations. As the CEI points out, if there ever was an example of government without the consent of ANYONE - this is it."


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