You have read here about America’s Big Blue Blob cities, where politicians put their own interests ahead of those of residents. But politicians in those cities aren’t just spending taxpayer dollars poorly on their own agendas. They’re also corrupt, and demand bribes for their own personal gain. At the Cato Institute, Chris Edwards lists just a few examples of America’s big blue blob city corruption, writing:
- In Chicago, dozens of aldermen have been found guilty of corruption over the decades. One study found that the crimes typically involved “schemes to extract bribes from builders, developers, business owners or those seeking to do business with the city or state. The bribe‐payers either assumed or were told that payment was necessary to receive zoning changes, building permits, or similar city or state action.… at the heart of most convictions is a payoff for something that is a sweetheart contract or a law or permit necessary to do business. This has been the main pattern of corruption in the city and the state for over 150 years.”
- In Boston, restaurant liquor licensing has long attracted corruption. The government’s strict limits on the number of licenses “creates a pent‐up demand, which results in licenses selling for a great deal — in some neighborhoods, north of $350,000. To get one, a restaurateur needs not only money but also connections: Businesses must be approved by the local neighborhood association and local elected officials.”
- In New York City, many sorts of permitting and licensing have been scandal‐plagued for decades. The New York Police Department, for example, was engulfed in scandal a few years ago with officers speeding up usually slow gun‐license approvals in exchange for cash and gifts.
- In Los Angeles, two officials in the liquor control agency ran a shakedown scheme that targeted karaoke bar owners. Clients would pay the pair to fast‐track their liquor license applications, and the pair would demand favors from bar owners while threatening to target them for enforcement raids.
- In Pennsylvania, there has been a flood of pay‐to‐play scandals—in cities such as Scranton, Harrisburg, Reading, and Allentown—under which officials have extorted cash or campaign contributions for licenses, permits, and other approvals from the government.
- In Massachusetts, California, and some other states that have legalized marijuana, there have been numerous corruption scandals because “legalization” has been only partial with strictly limited numbers of licenses available. The high value of the licenses has created large incentives for bribery and shakedowns.
- In Dallas, the low‐income housing tax credit (LIHTC) was at the center of the largest public corruption scandal ever in the city. Fourteen people were convicted of bribery, extortion, and related crimes, including developers, a state representative, the Dallas mayor pro tem, and the city planning commissioner. The politicians and bureaucrats would routinely shakedown developers for bribes in return for zoning changes and allocations of limited housing tax credits.
Action Line: Corruption can turn up anywhere, but you should try to find a better America in a place where politicians tend to put residents’ interests ahead of their own. Begin your search with Your Survival Guy’s 2023 Super States. Click here to subscribe to my free monthly Survive & Thrive letter, and be among the first to get access to my upcoming 2024 Super States.
