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Mundane corruption A Russian describes day to day ordinary mundane corruption, in a country where bribery is necessary to get things done.
My cousin had surgery once. Official wait time: half a year. Unofficial wait time with an envelope: three days.
It is not all good news though. The video has some more scary examples involving the education system, police and general government bureaucracy.
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No country is ever perfect – and there was corruption in Russia even before the Marxist coup of 1917, but after the coup (the so called “October Revolution”) corruption became endemic – as did rule by terror (a term “Lenin” used himself – and used with pride).
Mr Putin is a product of that system – as is everyone else in power in Russia.
They may no longer believe in Marxism – but the basic contempt for human dignity and for principles of personal honour (and basic honesty) remains in them.
Never trust Mr Putin – or any of the people in power in Moscow, or even in some little town in the middle of nowhere.
Remember, like so many others around the world, they are the “Official Bandits”.
As for the Soviet health system which was created in the 1920s – the British National Health Service was based upon it. The British “NHS” is less corrupt than Russian health care – but it is also more ideological, more driven by political and cultural agendas.
When Western health care gave up on Jordan Peterson – he went to Russia, on condition (I am told) that he would not have to pay if he was not cured.
He was cured – the Russians earned their money, but they did tell him “I hope you do not care about pain – as we do not”.
Not inflicting pain on him – was not part of the deal.
So waiting a year (or more) on the ‘free’ NHS, vs paying for getting your op in the private healthcare system next month is different how exactly?
Actually it’s like illicitly paying the “free” NHS for faster treatment rather than an actual private provider. It’s not the same but yes, it’s not entirely different either.
“Actually it’s like illicitly paying the “free” NHS for faster treatment rather than an actual private provider. It’s not the same but yes, it’s not entirely different either.”
Given quite often the surgeon doing your private op could well also have been scheduled to do your NHS one, just in many months time, I’d say its pretty damn close to the same thing. Its just called ‘private enterprise’ here, over there its a ‘bribe’. Potayto/potarto, still the same thing really, with a different name.
The same thought struck me, Jim, hence my sarcasm. But there are some things in the video I don’t think apply in the UK, like bribing teachers to not fail your kids or clerks to not lose your paperwork.
Although obviously corruption is a terrible thing — a gross abuse of power — it is worth pointing out that there is an up side to it. Namely that at least you can get things done. I mean if you can shove a brown envelope under your doctor’s door and get access to life saving medication, at least you can get access to the medication. If, to follow a recent example, I’m forced to serve of a jury for two weeks, costing me thousands of dollars in lost earnings, if I can bung the judge a hundred quid to get out of it, at least it is a net gain for me.
In a sense I think that without corruption democracy doesn’t work. With democracy everyone has the same vote and so the large base of the pyramid has massively more voting power than the people at the top. This leads to soak the rich, massively burdensome regulations (two years of paid maternity leave!! Fully paid mental health leave!!! Ten weeks of vacation a year!!!! $30 an hour minimum wage!!!) it must be balanced by the productive members of society taking the edge off by buying off some politicians to prevent the worst excesses.
It is funny, because I was talking to an old friend in Scotland over the weekend who was in the exactly this position — pay $300 to see a general surgeon to help with a problem, or wait a year on the NHS waiting list. So much for the NHS being the crown jewel of the British state.
To be clear I am not at all in favor of corruption, the fundamental problem is not that people are buying favors from politicians, but that politicians have favors to sell. Which is to say, government has massively too much power. But if we are living in the real world rather than a libertarian, free market state, then a few bucks to grease the wheels often is a good investment to make your life better.
A few more politicians going to jail though would be a big help.