Just Peachy in Georgia

This past weekend, while I was in Grand Rapids to attend the Michigan GOP convention, this ad appeared verbatim in Friday's addition of the Wall Street Journal.   


Geogia: The World's number 1 in fighting corruption.
According to the 2010 Global Corruption Barometer by Transparency International, 78% of Georgians think that corruption has decreased over the last 3 years - the best result across the 86 countries surveyed. According to the TI survey, only 3% of Georgians who had contact with various public services reported paying a bribe in the past 12 months.  This is a better figure than the EU average and places Georgia in a pool of countries whose citizens report the fewest bribes in the world.  The survey shows that 77% of Georgians believe that Government action has been effective in the fight against corruption, making Georgia's result the 2nd highest globally.  These achievements are even more important when set against the global perception that corruption has increased in the last 3 years and, as noted by TI 'one out of four worldwide has paid a bribe in the past year.'  Another recent survey conducted by the International Republican Institute, Baltic Surveys and the Gallup Organization, points out that only 0.4 percent of the population of Georgia has paid a bribe to get service or a decision.  To find out how to become part of Georgia's big success story please visit geogia.gov.ge.  Grow with Georgia!


Where does one begin.  First, for those in Rio Linda, CA, as Rush likes to say, this is not Georgia the state.  This Georgia, the country, or state, or whatever, is within the borders of the former Soviet Union.  I think Bill Clinton got us into a bit of a scrape here in the waning days of his presidency.  It's nice to know, especially for Georgian officials, that 78% of Georgians think that corruption has decreased.  With this kind of focused advertising, perhaps some additional wool can be pulled over some additional Georgian eyes in years ahead.  It's so sad to think that European economic development has led to this.  "We're not as good at stealing your money than the other guys!", or "Invest with us, with every dollar you save in bribes, another job can be created."  


It's unfortunate to think that one in four around the world has paid a government official a bribe of some sort in the past year.  More unfortunate is the fact that right here in the U. S. we have an occupant in the White House who wishes to emulate the very economic conditions and practices that seem to encourage this sort of despicable behavior.  Commanding governments will ultimately demand more from its citizens.  Now you must excuse me, a gentleman from the IRS is here to discuss last year's return and I've got tickets to this Sunday's Super Bowl.