re: #44 dat_said

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I, too, am always surprised at the low cost of bribes (maybe only cheapskate bribers get caught?).

Personal note - I was surprised at how much the city paid for the lot next to mine when I purchased the property where I live over 30 years ago. The lot had been attached to the two lots I bought but the city bought it to add to a city park.

The city actually paid more for the one lot than the two w/house & garage that I purchased - kicker is that the lot is legally and physically unbuildable due to setbacks and the fact that about 60% of it is under water (lake/marsh). It was a few months later when I went “aha” after I learned that the mayor and two city council members who voted for the deal (3-2 council vote) had each received political contributions from the former owner ($1000, $500, & $500 respectively). So the city paid about 10x more for the lot than the owner would have received if he hadn’t split it out and sold it to the city.

Yeah, I knew someone years ago who was later convicted of passing secrets to the Soviets when he was an army clerk. He did it for $5000.