US Slides on Corruption Index

[unhappycamper]

US Slides on Corruption Index
by William Fisher
Published on Saturday, October 30, 2010 by Inter Press Service

NEW YORK - Iraq and Afghanistan rank near rock-bottom in an index of corruption in 178 countries that found that nearly three- quarters of the countries surveyed showed serious corruption problems.

Iraq ranked 175 and Afghanistan 176 in the global index, just above Burma (Myanmar) and Somalia. These were the same ranks they achieved in 2009.

The United States, while still in the top 20 percent of the world index, fell from 19th in 2009 to 22nd this year, again failing to score in the top 20. That put it behind Canada, Barbados and Chile in the Americas.

The survey was carried out by watchdog group Transparency International (TI) in Berlin. To form its index, TI compiles surveys that ask businessmen and analysts, both in and outside the countries they are analyzing, their perceptions of how corrupt a country is.

Relying on the number of actual corruption cases would not work since laws and enforcement of laws differ significantly from country to country.

[Lasher]

1. Reuters published an article on this last week.

Not being critical of you for posting another here in GD. This topic warrants a lot of attention. But I want to share an important part of that previous article that was not spelled out anywhere in this one:

The United States has dropped out of the "top 20" in a global league table of least corrupt nations, tarnished by financial scandals and the influence of money in politics, Transparency International said on Tuesday.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4588773

[leveymg]

2. Here's yet another aspect of non-transparency: regulatory risk and de facto policy change

without proper publication of regulations, as is required under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA). The GOP-packed circuit courts have carved out large holes in this law for federal agencies that don't want to be bothered to publish new rules or enforce the ones they have in a consistent manner.

It's been a growing problem for more than a decade. It's affecting international business decisions, and not in ways that benefit American workers and the consumer.

Be prepared for greater corporate disinvestment and withdrawal from the U.S. market.

[lunatica]

3. You're either corrupt or not corrupt. What the hell is this ranking it crap

this country is officially corrupt. When an entire administration gets a pass on war crimes and being selected by the Supreme Court and voting fraud there is no question that the government is corrupt. When the media becomes the propaganda arm of one party they are corrupt. Not maybe corrupt, or sometimes corrupt. Totally corrupt.

Period.