Simple Lesson on Bribery
So, we campaign loudly against bribery. Yet some say – ah yes, but when does a gift between friends become a bride? The answer is when the bribe motivates the choice maker to subvert the common good of their employer for personal profit.
Let us ask a few questions:
Would you prefer to frequent a medical clinic run by people who bought their diplomas or by people who actually earned their degrees?
Would you prefer to fly in an aircraft where pilots had to buy their jobs or by pilots who had earned their jobs through merit?
Do you prefer to live and work in an environment where one pays the inspector each month a tip to keep walking as opposed to complying with over a 100 regulations, or work where regulations are clear and reasonable?
Do you prefer to have elected official voted into office by the general population or only those that raised enough money from donors to buy support from wealthy businesses?
Do you prefer to live and work where the rules favor the highest bidder or where the rules are enforced relatively even handedly?
Do you prefer to live and work where a criminal can buy the outcome of a trial with a “writ to fix” or a place where the accused are tried by competent lawyers judges and juries?
Do you prefer to live and work in a city where the cost of building is double than that of any other community – because of gifts to friends, or where municipal costs are more in line with the norm?
So – it may be more than just a gift between friends…
