Transparency International has published their international government corruption scores. It does not look pretty for the United States.

A strong correlation between corruption and poverty is evident in the results of the CPI 2006. Almost three-quarters of the countries in the CPI score below five (including all low-income countries and all but two African states) indicating that most countries in the world face serious perceived levels of domestic corruption. Seventy-one countries - nearly half - score below three, indicating that corruption is perceived as rampant. Haiti has the lowest score at 1.8; Guinea, Iraq and Myanmar share the penultimate slot, each with a score of 1.9. Finland, Iceland and New Zealand share the top score of 9.6.

Countries with a significant worsening in perceived levels of corruption include: Brazil, Cuba, Israel, Jordan, Laos, Seychelles, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia and the United States. Countries with a significant improvement in perceived levels of corruption include: Algeria, Czech Republic, India, Japan, Latvia, Lebanon, Mauritius, Paraguay, Slovenia, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Uruguay.

One of the most interesting things about the Bushes, George and Jeb, is that they came to power through the South and not their state of origin, Connecticut. George W and Jeb Bush really walked away from their WASP roots and have embraced the south, but not the south of Sherman.

I've always felt their southern strategy is more Latin America, not Georgia. Their ethos is more akin to banana republic dictators-in-the-making : Supressed and stolen votes, altered constitutions, co-opted civil liberties, disappeared dissidents, persecuted gays, paramilitary forces, abuse of executive powers ... the list could go on and on.

Will Democrats take the lead and revert the corruption machine Republicans have had in place for the last eight years?

What do you think?

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