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Comment by knodi123 | Hacker News Reader

> The US is actually one the most corrupt countries on earth.

That's an enormous allegation. But I don't think it holds up.

The US has corruption, but actual bribery is rare, and the reason we're so outraged is because we have the attitude and expectation that no one should be corrupt. This is like saying "I wouldn't want to live in a bright room - I'd see a roach or two! I'd rather keep the lights down low."

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There are hundreds of millions of dollars of bribes exchanging hands every year: https://www.opensecrets.org/political-action-committees-pacs...

PACs are the method of bribery in American politics. Anyone can contribute in unlimited amounts. The other is donations to foundations owned by the politician, and of course speaking fees.

If you think that "hundreds of millions of dollars" is actually supporting the assertion that the US is the most corrupt country in the world... well, clearly, some perspective is needed. My home country, morocco, which is comparatively way poorer than the US, has a corruption industry that probably goes into the low billions of dollars a year. And that's assuming superpacs are actually a form of corruption, which is very, very debatable. Even EU farming subsidies probably qualify for the term more than superpacs.

PACs spend a lot of their money simply doing things that help a candidate. Do you want to make it illegal for groups of people whose funding is opaque, to do anything that benefits a candidate? If one guy puts out a lawn sign for his favored candidate, it's free speech, but if a few neighbors pool their money and rent a billboard, now it's a corrupt PAC engaged in bribery?

PACs definitely have problems and are sources of abuse, but simply calling them bribery is so over the top it's ridiculous.

You perceive these as bribes, but you can also perceive them as exactly what they are called. Political Action Committees, a group of people/companies who have a common political purpose, spending money towards that goal.

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