The Fruits of Corruption

RALEIGH, N.C., May 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Frank L. Perry, Ph.D, a retired FBI Special Agent and current co-founder and director of investigations & public affairs for the Foundation for Ethics in Public Service, Inc., released the following statement today:

"The United States is no superpower when it comes to controlling government corruption.  

"A recent accounting of corruption and its impact on government by the Worldwide Governance Indicators (WGI) ranks the United States 18th among industrialized countries 'in their ability to control corruption'. Finland ranks first, and Greece ranks last at 82nd.  The WGI calculated the ranking two years ago, so there can be no claim of partisan fabrication of facts to fit a recent result. In Greece the fruits of public corruption are being laid bare as the country teeters on the brink of insolvency, having recently had its credit rating downgraded to junk status.

"A recent study by The Brookings Institution provides insight into the fruits of public corruption.  The study is based upon a rather complex set of criteria, one of which shows a 'strong relationship between corruption and fiscal deficits.' Many citizens believe that corruption, whether 'legal' (earmarks) or traditional (bribes), drives government deficits.

"Conversely, could it be that lower corruption results in lower fiscal deficits and that, in time, lower deficits tend to shine light on and deter individual instances of corruption, whether 'legal' or traditional? Moral gaffes in government, such as the so-called 'Louisiana Purchase' and 'Cornhusker Compromise' during the recent healthcare reform debate, are a slap in the face to citizens who witness such corruption, many of whom now raise the question:  how is an earmark different from a bribe?

"The most important fruits of corruption may be more of an ethical nature than a fiscal one. For example, if citizens perceive their governing bodies as corrupt, then a moral malaise sets in.  The fruit of this moral malaise may include what The Brookings Institution attempts to quantify when it finds that 'corruption affects productivity, competitiveness, and growth.'

"Private corruption, or illegal acts by individuals (including organized crime), is fueled by public corruption. For example, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has shown that tax evasion and claiming improper tax exemptions increase as a result of public corruption, resulting in a loss of tax revenue. An increase in corrupt practices on the part of public officials may be said to be birthing a 'moral malaise index', in that citizens mimic the irresponsibility and indifferent behavior of their elected officials.

"The United States need not succumb to the disease of ancient Rome or follow the demise of modern Greece, ironically the birthplace of Western law and democracy, but it can and will if government doesn't decide to cut deficits and put an end to corruption. Resurrecting and practicing the moral adage, 'what if everyone did that' would be the ethical and fiscally responsible thing to do."

To contact Dr. Perry, visit www.ReportPublicCorruption.org or call 919-832-6886.

SOURCE Foundation for Ethics in Public Service, Inc.

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