Is America Corrupt

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America: the ideal foundation of a flourishing, self-governing society, with fortunes to those of a deserving class. A society that could, one day, achieve wealth as a nation, where no one within its borders would be taken advantage of or forgotten. A society, made up of hardworking and dedicated patriots, where all would have the chance to become successful. Greed would be vanquished, the government would be for the people, and a mere mirage of a nation would birth a new world power. However, greed can corrupt even the purest of civilizations and simplest of minds, blurring the vision of a possible perfect union. The year 1776 declared a new and independent nation, that allowed a form of government to be conceived for the people, governed …show more content…

The country is the land of opportunity and refuge. However, what if America truly is becoming the very thing it fought during the 20th century? Is America becoming a regime, run by corrupt politicians, corporations, monopolies, driven by greed or thirst for power in foreign investments or lobbying? Political corruption can be classified as the abuse of power by one or multiple government officials for illegitimate and/or private gain. An illegal act, done by an officeholder, classifies as political corruption only if the act is directly related to their official duties or is carried out, under their laws, and can also involve influential trading. A common trait of corruption can be lobbying. Lobbying, is the process of trying to influence or sway the public or government policies at all levels; federal, state and local. According to the Corruption Perception Index of Transparency International (TI) (http://www.transparency.org/country/USA), America is 16th on the list of least corrupt nations, behind European nations, Canada and Australia. America is even on par with the Bahamas and Barbados in corruption! However, TI states, “from fraud and embezzlement charges to the failure to uphold ethical standards, there are multiple cases of corruption at the federal, state and local level.” Even a country that holds a 76% “clean” rate can have flaws. What are examples of these “charges” or scandals? Has America fallen …show more content…

Scandals in the United States can date back to as early as when congressmen of the First Continental Congress were accepting bribes to vote for Hamilton or Jefferson. President Grant was also caught up in many fraudulent cases and scandals as he had one of the most corrupt cabinets in American history. However, there is a more recent scandal, involving not only several congressmen, but the senator of Arizona. The Keating Five, in 1989, was the direct result after the collapse of the Lincoln Savings and Loan Association. After the deregulation of savings and loan associations in the early 1980's, several large banks began taking greater risks with depositors' money, exposing themselves into risky real estate and junk bonds in an effort to potentially gain maximum profits. Fearful about the future of the vast amounts of federally-insured money being invested, the Federal Home Loan Bank Board (FHLBB) instituted a financial cap on the amount of money that the savings and loan associations were allowed to place in such volatile instruments. An investigation into Lincoln Savings and Loan uncovered violations of these regulations, exceeding the limit by over $615

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