11-30-2005, 08:56 AM
Thecla,Nov 29 2005, 10:29 PM Wrote:FWIW -- and with no claims to its accuracy -- here is a recent corruption perceptions index. Among countries with sufficient data to be included in the survey, Canada ranked #14, below just about all of the Scandanavians -- who must be making up for the excesses of their Viking past -- the idyllic Kiwis, with the less idyllic Aussies following a bit below, Singapore (whose relaxation of its ban on chewing gum to allow nicorette gum does not seem to have led to widespread lawlessness), the strict Austrians, a few northern European commercial nations (the Netherlands, the UK, and Luxembourg) where it probably rains too much to encourage corruption, and above the US (#17), Botswana (#32), Cuba (#59), China (#78), Iraq (#137), and Bangladesh & Chad (#158). You know it must be bad when you rank below Myanmar.
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I find it curious that Singapore and Hong Kong scored better than the US. Then again I also find it curious that the color of my urine is golden yellow sometimes and almost colorless other times, so you can pretty much ignore this.
-A