I think about this a lot and wonder what it really costs us but my general thought is that if we were able to root out ALL corruption, we could probably have a smooth running government about 5% the size it is now and we'd be running a surplus rather than a deficit

I think anyone that gets caught taking bribes or pork should be charged with the maximum possible crimes against the country

I think you need to reduce the functions of government, so that the stakes are not as high and the free market can function better: that would reduce the “need” for corruption.

quote:

Originally posted by sjtill:
I think you need to reduce the functions of government, so that the stakes are not as high and the free market can function better: that would reduce the “need” for corruption.

Look at what the federal government led by Calvin Coolidge looked like, the bureaus, functions, activities.

I think this is the last one the Founders would recognize as similar to what they had imagined in the Constitution ... well, Hoover, too, I guess.

Now, instead of the 3 branches of government each with well defined duties, prohibitions, roles, there is a 4th branch, independent agencies, directly answerable to neither Congress, the President or even the people. They were setup under the guise of removing the matter within their portfolios from the distractions of politics, handled by experts. Trouble is, it turns out, there are no right or wrong answers, only choices. Those choices inevitably boil down to politics, how choices should be made in our system. Let the people, or people’s directly elected representatives, decide.