Quote of the Day: 'A Forum for Legalized Bribery'

In the Ukraine, they know how to protest inequality.*

"Our Congress today is a forum for legalized bribery ... The financial services industry, including real estate, spent $2.3 billion on federal campaign contributions from 1990 to 2010, which was more than the health care, energy, defense, agriculture and transportation industries combined. Why are there 61 members on the House Committee on Financial Services? So many congressmen want to be in a position to sell votes to Wall Street."

--Thomas Friedman, New York Times


(Please note: This does not make exceptions of congressmen from the districts that serve our region. They're smack in the middle of this banana republic level of corruption. The U.S. Congress is likely the most corrupt institution in the United States and that includes legendarily corrupt local officials.)


(Photo: Kiev Ukraine News Blog. The women here are protesting discrimination, sex tourism, prostitution, and the lack of women in government. What does this have to do with bribery? I don't know, but it got your attention and my guess is that it got Ukranian attention far more than 100,000 clothed protesters would. Maybe there's a message here.)