Category: Politics, Power, and Governance

I would agree that the people on the fringes are more likely to identify questionable government and private sector activity, but it comes with the equal likelihood of exaggeration and fictionalization of conspiracy theories.

In ukraine, belarus, russia, the soviet era and post-soviet era corruption systems are essentially how people are paid to tow the line – becasue everyone can be bought, because almost everyone is qualitatively poor by western standards.
I mean at $80 to $200 bucks a month for people on the margin, and an average salary in total of $500 in post soviet economies, even with their ultra low cost of labor, food, and energy (and less so housing), it’s just almost impossible for everyone not to circumvent limited salaries if they are in any position to do so.
Our american government is far more corrupt, it’s just indirect corruption by abuse of systematic opportunities rather than direct cash payments for performance.
Franky having lived in those countries I”m not sure it’s not better to pay a copy $20 for a ticket rather than many hundreds to in the west.

Reply addressees: @AltPublishNow @Rockwale @RealPatrickWebb