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> national interests Who says what the national interests are? If corruption rules, then it's just those in power preserving and exploiting what they have. >
by forapurpose 9y ago
> national interests
Who says what the national interests are? If corruption rules, then it's just those in power preserving and exploiting what they have.
> keep the control of a social structure in the hands of certain interests so that it cannot be hijacked by strangers
What strangers are you talking about? Why do the 'strangers' have any less right to power than you do? Why aren't you a 'stranger'?
Corruption has a well-documented and significant economic cost. It benefits the corrupt at the expense of everyone else. When government officials act to line their own pockets, it's not hard to see where the costs are. For example, when defense officials take bribes to choose a certain vendor, it harms national defense, because inferior products are being used; it kills soldiers (and the civilians they are defending), because of inferior products; and of course it takes money from taxpayers. It's not hard to see how it fails.
- jokoon 9y agoThe strangers would be foreign interests. Of course corruption has a cost, but it doesn't mean one can bring a more virtuous alternative to work. Frankly you can't really measure and evaluate how the world would be without corruption. It is called politics, management, regulations, policy enforcement, etc.
- wallace_f 9y agoBut we can at least try our best to minimize it, and instead try to maximize individual liberty. Personally, I hate seeing cheaters win; and I hate even more seeing people suffer for no good reason.
- jokoon 9y agoI agree with you, unfortunately society has evolved to tolerate cheaters and corruption, instead of going towards a more virtuous society. At least the world now is much more virtuous with democracy than it was before the 1800's. We can try to minimize it, but as always, if there is not enough political capital to do something about, nothing will be done. Citizens and consumers are being content with what they have. When climate change will hit, or when inequality will be felt, things might change.
- wallace_f 9y agoCan you give me some evidence to support your idea that the Americs is more just now than it was in the 18th century, except for the obvious example of racial injustice?