With Hillary skating past another corruption scandal, people might wonder how the United States compares against others on the Corruption Scale. This site appears to be another liberal rag, but is sufficiently accurate for my purposes for this diary. It lists the 10 most corrupt nations in the world. Here are a few of them:

9. Libya
Corruption score: 18
Power structure: Transitional

Now, Libya is still embroiled in turmoil. No formal government has taken root, and fighting between rebels and those loyal to the old administration is still taking place. Due to the high levels of uncertainty, the country’s GDP contracted 9.4 percent during 2013, according to The World Bank. The power vacuum has left open a great opportunity for arms dealers and corrupt military higher-ups to take charge and make profits by pitting citizens against each other.

Speaking of Hillary, much of the blame for this fiasco falls squarely on her.

7. Turkmenistan
Corruption score: 17
Power structure: Presidential Democracy/Authoritarian

The CIA’s file says that Turkmenistan likes to describe itself as a secular democracy and presidential republic, while in practice, its government more closely resembles an authoritarian dictatorship. The country itself was founded as a result of the Soviet Union’s collapse, as so many others in the region, and the resulting power struggle has left the nation highly corrupt and vulnerable to tomfoolery.

Sounds like home…

4. Afghanistan
Corruption score: 12
Power structure: Islamic Republic

The country has been loosely held together by a central government that largely lacks power, and has been carved up by a myriad of local tribal leaders and warlords, as we’ve seen first-hand with the Taliban and Al-Qaeda. The country’s now-former president Hamid Karzai was notoriously corrupt — he’s been recently busted for taking bagfuls of money from the American military, among other things. Afghanistan is also home to an enormous amount of the world’s heroin production, which has brought lots of wealth to a lucky few.

Opportunity lost…

1. (Tie) North Korea
Corruption score: 8
Power structure: Dictatorship

Notorious for having very little electricity and sending its citizens to prison camps, North Korea’s government and economy are effectively shrouded in mystery. While it does receive aid from countries like China, North Korea obviously has had problems producing enough fuel and food to properly care for its citizens. Military spending far outweighs spending on social programs and aid, mostly to put on appearances for the rest of the world in their famous outbursts of saber-rattling, and to keep citizens in line.

The setting makes for some good espionage movies.

and what about the U.S.?

Honorable Mention: The United States
Corruption score: 74
Power structure: Democratic Republic

While hardly comparable to these top 10 countries, we do have our own problems. Unfortunately this author is as clueless as all liberals are:

The economic system of the U.S. — although often portrayed as ‘free-market’ — does not quite live up to that description, in many cases. A quick look at the telecom or energy industry shows that many monopolistic forces are at play, and big money oftentimes can get laws rewritten to preserve power and influence. Pressure from big business and labor groups is a major factor in why America is the only major world power without a nationalized healthcare system, and why there has been enormous growth in inequality, particularly as of late.

And he started out so well with monopolistic forces (which are fully supported and embraced by the current resident of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave). I still don’t get liberal’s fascination with nationalized healthcare. It’s been an utter failure around the world, and is also where much of the public corruption comes from (see: VA Hospital in Denver, CO). The growth of inequality (and thereby racial tensions) can also be traced to the current Administration. Things certainly haven’t improved on either front since Obama took office.

That’s it for today’s Water Cooler. Have at it in the comments. –OPEN THREAD–