re: #13 Romantic Heretic

Perhaps. but graft is always cheaper than taxes.

Only in the short term, the costs of graft aren’t as obvious but they mount up.

If you’ve ever done business in a country with a tradition of graft you’ll be reminded of Serpico wondering why his fellow cops eat in a shit-hole diner - they eat there for free in return for turning a blind eye to hygiene violations. He’d rather pay the going rate and eat somewhere that complied with food regs