Jerry Brown Quotes

Most men think graft a sporadic evil, breaking out here and there, with no connection between outbreaks. I shared the same opinion, but very soon I discovered that the graft in the cities always leads to the graft in the State.

The American people might have a criminal syndicate running their government.

The Mexican government has been corrupt for 140 years.

We do have endemic corruption, but most of it is not political.

Corruption is rampant in Pakistan and the government’s failure to control the practice has made it almost impossible to reverse the trend.

Behind the ostensible government sits enthroned an invisible government owing no allegiance and acknowledging no responsibility to the people. To destroy this invisible government, to dissolve the unholy alliance between corrupt business and corrupt politics, is the first task of the statesmanship of the day.

Organized crime has a corrupting influence on all Bulgarian institutions including the government, parliament and judiciary. In an attempt to maintain their influence regardless of who is in power, organized crime figures dominate all the major political parties. As these figures have expanded into legitimate businesses, they have attempted—with some success—to buy their way into the corridors of power….

… a succession of generals who held the chief antidrug post in Mexico are now in prison for taking part in the very kind of crime they were supposed to prevent.

Political corruption is eating our democracy out from the inside. Most Americans know that. But democratic and economic health can't be easily disentangled.

'Cartel Land' seeks to give voice to the people of Mexico who suffer grievous harm from cartel violence and government corruption.

What I don't want to see is our political system corrupted by gambling money, especially casino gambling money.

When you get to political machines that can control a state, then you're really into organized crime - almost. You're fighting a political mafia.

When people treat corruption as a routine part of the process, you have something far worse than wrongdoing or moral failing. You have a political cancer that breeds cynicism about democratic government and infects all of society.

[Milwaukee in 1912] was in the grasp of the sinister and slimy hand of special interests, dive-keepers, crooked contractors, petty racketeers, and political bosses. The city was then as graft-ridden as any other.

Why should persons in authority wish to keep the dope peddler in business and the illicit drug racket in possession of its billion-dollar income? It will be obvious, I think, that this is the really significant question at issue.... If we, the representatives of the people, are to continue to let our narcotics authorities conduct themselves in a manner tantamount to upholding and in effect supporting the billion-dollar drug racket, we should at least be able to explain to our constituents why we do so

The hydra of corruption is only scotched, not dead. An investigation kills and it and its supporters dead. Let this be had.

CBC: Corrupt Bastard’s Club

… the unholy alliance between corrupt business and corrupt politics

It’s a giant criminal enterprise, but at least it’s a state.

This town has become very corrupt. We need reform of lobbying.

Corruption is an endemic evil—a cultural problem, not only for Mexico but for all Latin America

The use of such means and such agents [paid lobbyists] will have the effect to subject the State governments to the combined capital of wealthy corporations, and produce universal corruption, commencing with the representative and ending with the elector. Speculators in legislation, public and private, a compact corps of venal solicitors, vending their secret influences, will infest the capital of the Union and of every State, till corruption shall become the normal condition of the body politic.

I have flatly refused to be conned by Jyoti Basu and his corrupt government.

Not all politicians have a nexus with Veerappan.

Economics taught in most of the elite universities are practically useless in my context. My country is dominated by drug economy and a mafia. Textbook economics does not work in my context, and I have very few recommendations from anybody as to how to put together a legal economy.