I never ever said it was unique to a capitalist state, nor that it was unique to private industry. Any large association of people with elevated responsibility can act in corrupt ways. However corruption is only corruption when it's recognized and it's dependent upon violation of laws. The laws that govern private vs. public institutions are very different, the latter being far more restrictive. Cronyism in government is quite a grey area but in private institutions, it's perfectly acceptable.
Individuals in public institutions have very specific laws on their roles, what information they have access to, whom they speak to, what personal business they conduct and when, and who they go to work for after they leave public work. These are very specific and prosecutable laws - unfortunately, 8 years of a new-scandal-a-week Bush Administration, countless examples of blatant corruption (Joe Allbaugh), cronyism ("Heck-uva-Job Brownie"), coverups (US Attorney firings), illegal acts (torture), and just plain f***ing evil (Scooter Libby) that went unprosecuted, it really started to look like a dictatorship.
How ironic that the people who share the mantra that the best government is less government immediately try to prove it by example.
I never ever said it was unique to a capitalist state, nor that it was unique to private industry. Any large association of people with elevated responsibility can act in corrupt ways. However corruption is only corruption when it's recognized and it's dependent upon violation of laws. The laws that govern private vs. public institutions are very different, the latter being far more restrictive. Cronyism in government is quite a grey area but in private institutions, it's perfectly acceptable.
Individuals in public institutions have very specific laws on their roles, what information they have access to, whom they speak to, what personal business they conduct and when, and who they go to work for after they leave public work. These are very specific and prosecutable laws - unfortunately, 8 years of a new-scandal-a-week Bush Administration, countless examples of blatant corruption (Joe Allbaugh), cronyism ("Heck-uva-Job Brownie"), coverups (US Attorney firings), illegal acts (torture), and just plain f***ing evil (Scooter Libby) that went unprosecuted, it really started to look like a dictatorship.
How ironic that the people who share the mantra that the best government is less government immediately try to prove it by example.