Political Corruption and Capitalism by Richard D Wolff

[Shankapotomus]

Political Corruption and Capitalism by Richard D Wolff

Corruption is endemic to the capitalist system and has not been successfully regulated away. Perhaps a system change is warranted?

Nearly daily, mass media report political corruption across the world. Government bureaucrats, from local to national to international, are exposed for having abused their offices for personal gain. That gain is usually financial, but can involve career advancement. Much of that corruption is driven and financed by capitalist enterprises. In that kind of corruption, officials enable tax avoidance, provide subsidies, make purchases and sometimes sales, and decide many other "public" matters (e.g. locating roads, zoning cities, constructing state facilities, repressing strikes, investigating corruption, negotiating international agreements, etc.).

Official decisions are corrupt when they aim (in exchange for personal gain) exclusively or chiefly to benefit individual firms or groups of enterprises rather than any broad social or public purpose. Corruption can be illegal (when prohibitive laws apply) or legal if such laws were repealed or never passed. Political corruption, when not hidden or secret, occurs under a protective cover (or disguise) as if done for public purposes or benefits.

What chiefly drives this sort of...Continued

[libodem]

1. Did I mention this man is brilliant?

He's brilliant. Damn straight.

[Shankapotomus]

2. When I first heard Wolff on the radio

I could just tell he had a very compelling and powerful approach right from the beginning. You don't run into his kind of mind too often.

[Ron Green]

3. K&R for Rick Wolff and his vision.