Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : Bill Clinton Scandal - SANITY CHECK -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: j_b who wrote (4971)	9/23/1998 12:17:00 PM
From: Les H	Respond to of 67261

Big IMF borrowers rank high in corruption index By Janet Guttsman WASHINGTON, Sept 22 (Reuters) - Countries which won billions of dollars of international loans are seen as among the most corrupt nations in the world, according to a survey released on Tuesday. The 1998 Corruption Perceptions Index from corruption watchdog Transparency International gives just one country, Denmark, a perfect 10, showing that investors, risk analysts and the public think Denmark and its leadership are clean. But well over half of the 85 countries on the list scored less than 5.5 -- the number which Transparency International views as pointing to a problem for the government concerned. ''It seems to me that any country that has a score of 6.0 or 5.5 or lower clearly has a huge problem,'' said Frank Vogl, vice president of the Germany-based institution, which has issued its surveys annually since 1985. Countries scoring particularly badly in the 1998 list include Indonesia, ranked 80th with a score of 2.0, Russia, ranked 76th with a score of 2.4 and Pakistan, which shares the 71st spot with Latvia in the Baltics, with a score of 2.7. In last place was Cameroon in West Africa, with a score of 1.4. ''The 1998 CPI score relates to perceptions of the degree of corruption as seen by business people, risk analysts and the general public,'' Transparency International said. ''It ranges between 10 (highly clean) and 0 (highly corrupt).'' Vogl stressed that the index did not actually measure corruption, but concentrated on the perception of corruption, which he defined as ''the abuse of public office for private gain.'' ''We are not measuring corruption, we are measuring the perception of it. We do not have enough data to say these perceptions are accurate,'' he said. Russia, the largest country in the world, is also the biggest borrower from the International Monetary Fund, although the fate of its latest multi-billion dollar lending program is in doubt as the fund assesses the print-and-spend policies of the new government of Yevgeny Primakov. The IMF promised Indonesia more than $10 billion last year and has paid out just over half that. The two sides agreed to a new policy plan this month, clearing the way for a further payment, probably after the IMF's annual meetings next month. Vogl said Transparency's next aim was to develop a Bribery Propensity Index, which would look at which countries were the homes to ''bribe-paying corporations.'' ''It will be a parallel index which measures the perception of where bribery is coming from'' he said, noting that the United States was a rare example of a country with clear laws criminalizing bribery abroad. ''If bribery is criminalized in many countries, if there is enforcement and if there is monitoring, then we will see a change in corporate behavior,'' he said. The 1998 report is the most extensive Transparency International survey to date. The previous survey, released last year, ranked 52 countries, putting Denmark at the top and Nigeria at the bottom. It is drawn up on the basis of a dozen surveys carried out over the last three years.

To: j_b who wrote (4971)	9/23/1998 1:06:00 PM
From: MulhollandDrive	Respond to of 67261

J, Bill Clinton's "elastic" view of truth will continue to plague his Presidency in foreign relations. I hope that all will also consider that those giving Bill the standing ovation in the UN are individuals who enjoy a peculiar "amnesty" when it comes to committing criminal acts in this country, perhaps not the best group to gauge "moral support" for this President. bp

To: j_b who wrote (4971)	9/23/1998 1:06:00 PM
From: Ann Corrigan	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 67261

j_b, As far as Pres. Clinton's promises to his fellow democrats, doesn't the fact his cooperation with Repubs in congress enabled the long-sought for control of our national debt count for anything? A President whose political adversaries control the congress can only accomplish so much; therefore, the democrats need to be a little introspective and ask themselves why they couldn't get elected to congress in order to therefore achieve the passage of their programs. In foreign affairs, Pres. Clinton has always had strong opposition to his actions & decisions. The conservatives who believe he's weakened the military always conducted strong campaigns against his foreign policy. This is nothing new. Jimmy Carter's criticism probably has something to do with his wanting to distance himself from a President in trouble, since he was such a strong supporter in the past. I agree with your statements about ethics. It's extremely important, however, IMO in this particular instance "the devil we know" is capable of using his excellent people skills, communication expertise,world leadership etc. in ways that could solve some serious world problems in his remaining time as President. As another poster at SI finishes all his posts "but what do I know":o) Ann