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The anti-corruption organization Transparency International says Americans are expressing greater concern this year about wrongdoing within the U.S. government, and especially within the White House.
It's the major finding in the organization's annual U.S. Corruption Barometer. Researcher Coralie Pring said that in 2016, only about a third of Americans expressed concerns about White House corruption. But in the new survey, she said, "just under one in two Americans think that there's very serious levels of corruption in the office of the president."
Transparency International defines corruption as "the abuse of entrusted power for private gain." The survey polled 1,005 people in October and November. The questionnaire was designed to allow comparisons with other nations.
The Trump administration denies that it's letting up on foreign corruption.
But that's not what Alexandra Wrage says she hears from business executives. Wrage is president of Trace International, which advises corporations in complying with the FCPA and other anti-bribery statutes.
There has always been a certain amount of corruption in politics and it didn't start with Trump/Clinton it's been going on for a very long time now. It has got way out of hand of later senators on up are getting kickbacks, we have companies lining everyone with money to the point we shouldn't have to pay them. They make more money under the table then they do as a whole. People are losing faith in our political system and for good reasons.
The anti-corruption organization Transparency International says Americans are expressing greater concern this year about wrongdoing within the U.S. government, and especially within the White House.
It's the major finding in the organization's annual U.S. Corruption Barometer. Researcher Coralie Pring said that in 2016, only about a third of Americans expressed concerns about White House corruption. But in the new survey, she said, "just under one in two Americans think that there's very serious levels of corruption in the office of the president."
Transparency International defines corruption as "the abuse of entrusted power for private gain." The survey polled 1,005 people in October and November. The questionnaire was designed to allow comparisons with other nations.
The Trump administration denies that it's letting up on foreign corruption.
But that's not what Alexandra Wrage says she hears from business executives. Wrage is president of Trace International, which advises corporations in complying with the FCPA and other anti-bribery statutes.
There has always been a certain amount of corruption in politics and it didn't start with Trump/Clinton it's been going on for a very long time now. It has got way out of hand of later senators on up are getting kickbacks, we have companies lining everyone with money to the point we shouldn't have to pay them. They make more money under the table then they do as a whole. People are losing faith in our political system and for good reasons.
Interesting piece, thanks & respect for posting here, haven't read in entirety but intend to do so when time permits.
Right off the bat though, I find it telling that the Trump administration "denies that it's letting up on foreign corruption". (With no mention of the home grown seeded variety.)
Mr. Trump entered the office of POTUS with many more conflicts of interest than any other. He was more than ripe to avail himself of the power entrusted (inherent in the office) & to blatantly abuse for private gain. He has already done so. Previous administration personnel warned him that Mr. Flynn's 'foreign 'entanglements' (& conflicts of interest) were bound to make him vulnerable to 'blackmail' & likely lead to the abuse of power for private gain scenarios. So too Mr. Trump, his family, & as yet countless others in the Trump administration.
It's good to know the American people are on to the various con jobs & marketing ploys used to deflect.
Does anyone really believe that politicians don't sell influence? It is no coincidence that so many career politicians either increase their personal wealth or become wealthy while in office.
People have been losing faith in our elected for years. Obama came in as the great "Hope" but in his second term turned into a big "Nope" and Hillary promised to give us more of the same.
Trump was a gamble, a roll of the dice but Hillary was a sure bet of scandals, corruption, back door deals and lining her own pockets at the expense of ours while she told us how great it is.
Politics is a big mess, it is getting worse and it is not Trumps fault. Many will say he is the problem but Trump is the messenger that is exposing the corruption. I have no doubt that if Hillary had been elected we would not be hearing anything about the wrong doings of DC except from the Right Wing talking heads like Rush and Hannity. We might not even be hearing about the sex scandals of DC and Hollywood which would suggest the party that stands for womens rights are complacent with sexual harassment.
People, myself included have lost faith in more than just our political system but also polls and the mass medias capacity to deliver unbiased reporting that does not push an agenda of one political party.
they need to call me because I can give you a long list of Obama era corruption a mile long.... some of which is still going on and still in place.
Obama was the single most corrupt president in my lifetime and history might well put him at the top of the class. I have no doubt that his intention was to institutionalize corruption to insure democrat control of all the levers of government regardless of the will of the people, and to insure the manipulation of the people.
People have been losing faith in our elected for years. Obama came in as the great "Hope" but in his second term turned into a big "Nope" and Hillary promised to give us more of the same.
Trump was a gamble, a roll of the dice but Hillary was a sure bet of scandals, corruption, back door deals and lining her own pockets at the expense of ours while she told us how great it is.
Politics is a big mess, it is getting worse and it is not Trumps fault. Many will say he is the problem but Trump is the messenger that is exposing the corruption. I have no doubt that if Hillary had been elected we would not be hearing anything about the wrong doings of DC except from the Right Wing talking heads like Rush and Hannity. We might not even be hearing about the sex scandals of DC and Hollywood which would suggest the party that stands for womens rights are complacent with sexual harassment.
People, myself included have lost faith in more than just our political system but also polls and the mass medias capacity to deliver unbiased reporting that does not push an agenda of one political party.
Agree American people's faith in our elected representatives has been steadily decreasing for 3 or 4 decades.
There are many factors why. Transparency International, the organization that produced the survey, upon which the NPR article (cited in OP) is based, identifies one of the main factors:
Quote:
2016 showed that around the world systemic corruption and social inequality reinforce each other, leading to popular disenchantment with political establishments and providing a fertile ground for the rise of populist politicians.
...Corruption and inequality feed off each other, creating a vicious circle between corruption, unequal distribution of power in society, and unequal distribution of wealth. As the Panama Papers showed, it is still far too easy for the rich and powerful to exploit the opaqueness of the global financial system to enrich themselves at the expense of the public good. ...
This piece also explains why so often Populism is the wrong medicine
Quote:
People are fed up by too many politicians’ empty assurances to tackle corruption and many are turning towards populist politicians who promise to change the system and break the cycle of corruption and privilege. Yet this is likely to only exacerbate the issue.
“In countries with populist or autocratic leaders, we often see democracies in decline and a disturbing pattern of attempts to crack down on civil society, limit press freedom, and weaken the independence of the judiciary. Instead of tackling crony capitalism, those leaders usually install even worse forms of corrupt systems,” said Ugaz. “Only where there is freedom of expression, transparency in all political processes and strong democratic institutions, can civil society and the media hold those in power to account and corruption be fought successfully.”
Transparency International made recommendations toward correcting the inherent systemic problems & risk factors:
Quote:
Americans have expressed their frustration with Washington and its elected officials in myriad ways. Yet there are things that can be done to ensure that institutions are clean and that taxpayer dollars are spent in alignment with the public's concerns and not just with special corporate and elite interests.
Transparency International calls on the US Government to address the following:
1. TRANSPARENCY IN POLITICAL SPENDING:
Make all spending on politics genuinely transparent, with:
- real-time information accessible in online, machine-readable form to the public
- transparency on political spending by publicly traded companies
- transparency to the public on every level of influence, from political ad campaigns, to lobbying, to bundled campaign contributions.
2. PREVENTION OF REVOLVING DOORS:
Stop the unchecked exchange of personnel among corporations, lobbyists and our elected and high-level government officials.
3. ESTABLISHING WHO OWNS WHAT:
End the use of anonymous shell companies, which can be a source of conflict of interest and/or vehicles for illicit activity.
4. STRENGTHENING THE ETHICS INFRASTRUCTURE:
Reinforce the independence and oversight capabilities of the Office of Government Ethics.
5. PROTECTION OF WHISTLEBLOWERS:
Improve and implement laws and regulations to protect the whistleblowers who expose corruption and other misconduct by the government and its contractors.
6. PROVIDING BASIC ACCESS TO INFORMATION:
Increase access to information about the government, as a means to empower the public to fight corruption.
CORRUPTION IN THE USA: THE DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES
they need to call me because I can give you a long list of Obama era corruption a mile long.... some of which is still going on and still in place.
Obama was the single most corrupt president in my lifetime and history might well put him at the top of the class. I have no doubt that his intention was to institutionalize corruption to insure democrat control of all the levers of government regardless of the will of the people, and to insure the manipulation of the people.
So your like 12? Maybe 15. ALL president are corrupt to some extent some more then others Obama was much of a do nothing president other then passing that terrible ACA. But as a whole he was MUCH better then Trump he spoke clearly well more so then the arse hat we have now. Trump's ONLY agenda is to make sure that he passes the right bills to help him and his wealthy friends out. They al have their agenda and that's Trump's agenda.
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ALL president are corrupt to some extent some more then others Obama was much of a do nothing president other then passing that terrible ACA. But as a whole he was MUCH better then Trump he spoke clearly well more so then the arse hat we have now. Trump's ONLY agenda is to make sure that he passes the right bills to help him and his wealthy friends out. They al have their agenda and that's Trump's agenda.
