09-04-2015, 06:13 PM
(09-04-2015, 11:51 AM)fredtoast Wrote: I know that governments can be corrupt, but not as corrupt as the private free market. The element of profit seeking rewards corruption in the private marketplace.
That's a very circular argument. The opportunity to corrupt, as it applies to cases involving the govt, stems 100% from the govt ability to regulate and fine (punish) and tax private industry. This is especially bad in some socialist/communist/dictatorships where expropriation, pay-to-play and outright extortion are perks of the position.
The US has laws against corporations engaging in that, but it's a real cost of doing business so those corporations break the law or they don't do business there.
The more govt you have, the more opportunity you have for favors or lobbying because regulatory compliance becomes a significant cost of doing business. Obviously I'm not saying regulation is bad, but that's what creates the opportunity for corruption. And I don't think whether an individual is in private industry or the govt makes either more or less likely to be corrupted.
I mean, is the OSHA inspector not rewarded when he's handed a bag of cash to look the other way? It takes two to tango - you can't have corruption without a corrupt private company person AND a corrupt govt worker.
