4 ms·

Wow - this is amazing, "Can it really be happening in the US?" corruption. Is this also an offshoot of a no tax policy in Texas?

• anigbrowl 13y ago
  "Can it really be happening in the US?" I hate to tell you this, but as a non-American I've always had the idea that rural cops and sheriffs are likely to be corrupt in this manner, especially 'good old boys.' I don't mean that as a slur on rural people and think there's urban corruption too but it takes different forms there because of population density v. isolation. Is this also an offshoot of a no tax policy in Texas? In both Texas and DC, I think it's very much a side effect of politicians' unwillingness to raise taxes. There's a vicious circle of ever-increasing pension obligations, stagnant revenue, and voter apathy that allows this and other sorts of corruption to flourish. Most people are not that interested in politics, but they get annoyed when their taxes change (hell, I'm liberal and I get annoyed about my taxes). It's one of the few issues that can mobilize a majority of voters. In this political calculus, corruption has a lower cost because although the effects are more severe, they're not as widely distributed.
  • mathattack 13y ago
    My impression is this happens in Russia a lot. They can't afford to pay the police, so the police find a way to prey on the weak. It's a sign that underfunding is getting extreme.