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Corruption is our Middle Name
I grew up in Mexico. We knew there was corruption and still remember one presidential candidate telling us, “we are all part of the corruption problem, la corrupción somos todos.” It was his running motto for the highest office in the land. This was admission to a long standing issue. We all knew corruption was everywhere. It ranged from the cop on the beat, to the highest office in the land. Enriching oneself, while in office, was expected. An honest government that was clean was something none expected. We joked about it, and we called it mordida.
No, that president did not clean up the country. Corruption continues to this day, to a greater or lesser extent. No, the current populist left-wing government of Manuel Lopez Obrador is not cleaning the stench either, even when that was also a campaign promise. If anything, there seems to be a coverup with COVID 19 deaths. The story in the New York Times was all but shocking or surprising. When corruption is structural, you become inured to it. In fact, it becomes a matter of jokes. In this case, dark jokes.
Which brings me to the United States under Donald Trump. Mind you, some of this has existed in the United States for a long time. We just refuse to see it. There are the well-connected who never face the music, no matter what they do. Short of a few crimes, some people are above the law. No District Attorney will…