BLUF: Corruption in America has become business as usual, with no sense of shame or wrongdoing when exposed, and two different standards of justice—one for the general public and another for the political elites and super-wealthy. The decay of the public trust, moral standards, and the rule of law is leading America down a path of collapse.
In our society, corruption is prevalent and accepted, undermining public trust, the rule of law, and basic fairness. We commonly witness individuals confidentially leveraging their positions in the state for personal gain, engaging in activities such as accepting bribes, obtaining insider information, revolving between private and state roles, and peddling influence. This “business as usual” mentality is entrenched within the fabric of our system. When exposed, those responsible for corruption exhibit no shame or remorse for betraying the public trust.
Furthermore, there are glaring discrepancies between the treatment of the general public and the privileged few. While the bottom 99.9% face harsh consequences for even minor infractions, insiders, financial elites, and the politically influential seem to evade accountability effortlessly. This double standard erodes trust in our justice system and perpetuates a sense of injustice.
To illustrate this point further, we need only look at the cover-ups and obstruction of justice within the immediate circles of the President of the United States. If our nation held the public trust as sacred, such impropriety at the highest levels of government would trigger investigations, calls for resignation, and indictment. However, we witness only the usual response—cover-ups, insignificant punishments, denial of guilt, and a lack of shame.
The corruption isn’t limited to politics alone. At the highest levels of the judiciary, SCOTUS, we observe a blindness to impropriety as justices accept gifts from wealthy individuals whose interests intertwine with the Supreme Court’s docket. This disregard for the sanctity of the public trust demonstrates just how low we have sunk.
Corporate America’s elite, known as SCROTUS, also enjoys immunity from consequences. Corporate fines for fraud and other crimes have become little more than a cost of doing business, as no corporate leaders face imprisonment. This further perpetuates the notion that corruption is an acceptable part of our society, particularly for the financial and politically connected.
Corruption is not limited to one party or affiliation; it is a systemic issue that plagues our nation. Regardless of their political alliances, America’s wealthy and powerful continue to exploit the system to enrich themselves, widening the gap between the haves and have-nots. Such systemic corruption, as described by historian Peter Turchin, fuels soaring wealth and income inequality, indicating the urgent need for change.
However, the core of corruption lies in the pursuit of private gain at the expense of the common good and public interest. When power is used primarily for personal benefit, the very fabric of our society begins to unravel. Shame and accountability have all but disappeared from our collective conscience. Corruption is no longer seen as a sin but is cynically defended as a necessity for the greater good.
To prevent the collapse of our nation, we must reach a tipping point where corruption and destabilizing inequality are no longer acceptable. This requires a social revolution that transforms what is morally and politically acceptable and reestablishes the public trust. Until we can achieve this transformation, we are merely passengers on a ship of state doomed by rampant corruption and the erosion of moral standards and the rule of law. It is time to recognize that what is currently considered normal is fundamentally flawed and paves the path to America’s demise.