Where we are today, I wonder if anybody could convincingly make the case that the US is any less corrupt.
We are less corrupt. I’ve been to Russia, and saw how in day-to-day civilian transactions, corruption and graft was the rule.
Not so in America. I don’t have to bribe a plumber to show up, I just pay what he initially requests. I don’t have to grease the palms of a mortgage agent to get my mortgage approved.
At the highest levels, yes, America is equally corrupt. And over time, I expect it will trickle down to the populace.... but that will take time.