New Report: Trump White House Viewed as Most Corrupt

By Jeralyn, Section Trump Administration
Posted on Tue Dec 12, 2017 at 02:19:58 PM EST
Tags: (all tags)

Share This: Digg!

A new survey report on public perception of corruption in public institutions has been released by Transparency International, a leading non-profit organization that tracks such things.

The survey asked about the degree of corruption in nine influential groups. These included the national government (the president’s office, members of congress, government officials), public officials who work at the service level (tax officials, the police, judges, local officials), and those who are not part of government but who often wield strong influence (business executives, religious leaders). Of these categories, government institutions and officials in Washington are perceived to be the most corrupt in the country. The results show that 44 per cent of Americans now say that most or all of those in the Office of the President are corrupt, up from 36 per cent who said the same last year.

The Washington Post has some analysis: [More...]

“The current U.S. president was elected on a promise of cleaning up American politics and making government work better for those who feel their interests have been neglected by political elites,” the report states. “Yet, rather than feeling better about progress about the fight against corruption over the past year in America, a clear majority of people in American now say that things have become worse.”

Members of Congress are seen as the second most corrupt group of government officials of the nine categories in the survey, with 38 percent of Americans viewing them as mostly or all corrupt. After that, Americans perceive corruption as pervasive in non-White House government officials, business executives, local officials and business leaders in decreasing proportions. Only 16 percent of respondents viewed judges and magistrates as mostly or all corrupt, according to the data.

How corruption is defined:

Transparency International defines corruption as “the abuse of entrusted power for private gain.” Key issues within that definition include the influence of wealthy individuals over government, “pay for play” politics, revolving doors between government and corporate entities and the abuse of the financial system by elites.

< Reuters: Repubs.May Cut Up to $28 Billion in Medicare If Tax Bill Passes | Bangladeshi Officials to U.S: Ullah is a Homegrown U.S. Terrorist >

Legal

Nothing on this site should be construed as legal advice. TalkLeft does not give legal advice.

TalkLeft is not responsible for and often disagrees with material posted in the comments section. Read at your own risk.

New Report: Trump White House Viewed as Most Corrupt | 3 comments (3 topical)

Readers Must Login or Create an Account to Comment

Cynicism breeds contempt, and vice versa. (5.00 / 1) (#2)
by Donald from Hawaii on Tue Dec 12, 2017 at 03:53:42 PM EST

"Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want and deserve to get it good and hard."
- H.L. Mencken (1880-1956), American writer, journalist and satirist

Sad to say, but what's currently happening in Washington, D.C. and in any number of our state capitals is almost entirely the result of a self-inflicted wound on our part. Civic literacy and engagement are at all-time lows, socio-political tribalism has become the order of the day rather than the exception, fact and reality increasingly give way to demagogy and fantasy, and ideology all too often supplants reason.

"Democracy is a device that ensures we shall be governed no better than we deserve."
- George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950), Irish playwright

Therefore, if we seek change, then we must do more than merely talk about it, and certainly more than complain about current conditions or circumstances. Rather, We must actively embody the change which we seek, whether it be in politics or any other aspect of our lives. Real, long-lasting change requires personal initiative to make it happen.

And in politics, the change we seek requires us -- at the very least -- to stand up and be counted when the time comes to do so, by regularly and freely exercising our constitutional right to cast our votes and our ballots.

Further, the prospect of enacting significant and real change should encourage each of us to make a serious effort to become proactive agents for that change in our own respective lives and communities, rather than acquiesce passively to the present and often turbulent status quo.

It's completely antithetical to the well being of our democratic institutions that we should meekly submit ourselves to a not-so-benign fate which would otherwise be pre-ordained for us by somebody else, were we to somehow consign to them that power through our own neglect and ignorance.

"The only thing I did was wrong,
Was staying' in the wilderness too long.
Keep your eyes on the prize, hold on.
The only thing we did was right,
Was the day we started to fight.
Keep your eyes on the prize, hold on."
- Elihu Trusty, "Keep Your Eyes on the Prize" (1937)

Aloha.

In case there was any doubt (none / 0) (#1)
by CaptHowdy on Tue Dec 12, 2017 at 02:35:11 PM EST

Gambling? In Casablanca? (none / 0) (#3)
by Repack Rider on Tue Dec 12, 2017 at 04:59:30 PM EST

And of course, Casablanca translates as...