[Liz]

Good for your sister.

Immigrants come here from corrupt nation states where graft is an everyday occurrence.

Mexicans had to be warned not to offer bribes to police officers and other authorities in the US-—where it is a crime. Not a crime in Mexico. It’s been reported that in Mexico you pay for everything-—even to get to the head of the line.

What is even more nauseating is the sense of entitlement they bring with them-—as if they are entitled to handouts and freebies that we Americans put in place for OUR needy citizens.

[AuntB]

“It’s been reported that in Mexico you pay for everything-—even to get to the head of the line.”

That is just a fact and a way of life. They call it ‘Mordida’. I’ve been there and experienced it. Money talks.

[snip]Some things in Mexico seem to never change
The Bite is Alive and Well in Mexico

Di no a la mordida”LA MORDIDA”, translation “the bite” is the term used for a bribe in this country. It is the traditional and customary way of getting things done.
The bureaucrat who does your bidding takes a bite out of the cost of completing your objective. Mexican reformers are trying to change this condition with little success. It is so institutionalized that it could take decades before the situation changes appreciably. Bribing a cop, a judge or a permit agent is not the exclusive domain of Mexico. News stories about bribery scandals in the United States are not uncommon but in Mexico it is a way of life instead of an aberration in the system.

Payoffs in the U.S. are usually in the form of political favors, exchanged for campaign contributions. In Mexico it is endemic to almost all agencies of government: Treasury, immigration, customs, commerce commissions, police, judges, planning departments and even lawyers who will “throw” your case to your opponent in a law suit. It is a customary way of doing business in Mexico and most Mexicanos treat it with a shrug of the shoulders. They complain about it but accept it stoically as a way of life.

http://www.mexicomatters.net/retirementmexico/04_bribeslamordidainmexico.php

[ding_dong_daddy_from_dumas]

Mexicans had to be warned not to offer bribes to police officers and other authorities in the US-—where it is a crime. Not a crime in Mexico.

That is quite true. When I was in Mexico 20 years ago, the Mexicans told me (translated from Spanish), "When your police break the law, your government punishes them. Here, the lie rules."

But since that time, I believe more of our officials have evolved to live for "la mordida," under both Republican and Dem Presidents.