rule of law and the free market
St Petersburg is a great place to observe what happens to people and institutions when free-market capitalism takes hold in a country with a long tradition of skepticism (to put it mildly) toward the rule of law.
It is necessary to give the police a "gift" of $10 to register passports. Police also accept bribes from pickpockets, and are widely recognized as useless when an actual crime occurs. Last night, a student was mugged not far from the hotel, and was advised by a reliable source that calling the police was probably useless and possible worse. If a cop stops you in St P, and you're a foreigner, they may well remove all the money from your wallet.
To libertarians who think the rule of law is unjustified encroachment on their freedom: come to St. Petersburg.
To economic conservatives who think we need rely only on market forces to produce a just and secure society: come to St. Petersburg.
It is necessary to give the police a "gift" of $10 to register passports. Police also accept bribes from pickpockets, and are widely recognized as useless when an actual crime occurs. Last night, a student was mugged not far from the hotel, and was advised by a reliable source that calling the police was probably useless and possible worse. If a cop stops you in St P, and you're a foreigner, they may well remove all the money from your wallet.
To libertarians who think the rule of law is unjustified encroachment on their freedom: come to St. Petersburg.
To economic conservatives who think we need rely only on market forces to produce a just and secure society: come to St. Petersburg.
posted by DJ at 10:57 AM
1 Comments:
Hey Charlie! Thanks for stopping by -- you'd like this city I think
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