Politics

[Red Leg]

I spent some time in the EU for work a few occupations ago. I don't know all the elements of corruption that composite those scores, but back in my day the two most corrupt European countries were (are?) Bulgaria and Romania. Because they lacked anti-bribery, anti-money laundering, and foreign corrupt practices laws, they were outside the EU Shenghen zone. For those unfamiliar, the EU isn't really the happy club we're led to believe. There are the cool-kid countries, where your EU passport lets you roll right across boarders free as a bird from France to Germany, for example. Then there are the shady characters like Romania and Bulgaria that are the stepchildren with fewer rights and privileges due to their unscrupulous behaviors.

How bad was the corruption there? Pretty bad. I was never allowed to delve deep into the risks and fraud potentials of my operations there and the local management team was always able to get the CEO to support their assertion I go F' myself and stop nosing around. (nosing around was of course my job)

Anecdotally, EVERY and I do mean EVERY advertisement at the airports was for goods and services to prevent bribery, scams, graft, phishing, cybersecurity, kickbacks, etc, etc. Totally corrupt shitholes per the definition used by President Trump. Ironically, very beautiful places to visit that didn't give off that Soviet-Satellite vibe you'd expect from Eastern Europe. The people were pleasant, but very distrustful and not very gregarious due to a lot of years of Soviet influence. They were the polar opposite of my work in Central America that is equally corrupt, but the people are so damned affable and humorous you just want to like them, even if they are robbing the company.

Eastern Europe is a challenge. Bulgaria and Romania are ranked 67th and 63rd in the index. That is three and seven points better than Hungary respectively.

 

[Red Leg]

Not usually into the whole meme nonsense, but this was too good not to pass along.

 

[rookhawk]

Eastern Europe is a challenge. Bulgaria and Romania are ranked 67th and 63rd in the index. That is three and seven points better than Hungary respectively.

Indices aside, if the EU is their own BS-detector, the Shengen zone has these exclusions:

Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Ireland, and Romania.

Bulgaria and Romania for the reasons I outlined. Ireland because a piece of it is owned by Great Britain which creates travel complications. No idea what happens in Cyprus and Croatia, but obviously something the EU isn't proud of.

We never looked at setting up a site in Hungary. It never got to analysis of corruption or safety, but one of prevailing wages. Hungary was a better off country than Bulgaria and Romania, the most affordable countries we could do business in the EU. Also the countries that are the most multi-lingual since their native languages are utterly useless everywhere else.

 

[Altitude sickness]

Now what would happen if you concentrated the corruption study and report out to key areas of the U.S.

Perhaps overlay a map of Hungary or Bulgaria onto and use a heat map and or percentage of population.


New York city
Chicago
Washington DC
These three could give Hungarian politicians a run for their money. Ours are just a little less obvious and use more sophisticated tactics.

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

Right now on The Evening Edit they just did a really great segment on it.

Hope so. When I posted what I did, there was virtually nothing on their website and it was down the page quite a ways. I have a brother and two of his kids that endured being in the hurricane's path of travel. From my perspective in Arizona if I didn't go digging into it nor talked to my brother, I'd have the impression they just endured a somewhat stronger than normal thunderstorm.

 

[Brent in Az]

Zelinskyy blows into town on a mooching run, and the Dems roll out the red carpet.

Hurricane victims get shit on by Federal incompetence, and an administration that doesn't care about Americans.

 

[Hunt anything]

I think it was in the NYT, “Hispanics hit hardest by hurricane Helene” those people see everything through a racial lens.

 

[wesheltonj]

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No idea what happens in Cyprus . . .

Bankers to Russian Oligarchs. Money laundering. Tax avoidance schemes.

 

[barryk]

I am not sure. Rural and red western North Carolina and Northern GA may not get to vote.

Hence a possible reason for the "slow walk" getting these people help.