Corruption and lack of transparency is a terrible habit for nations and their societies. However, here I am trying to point at persons who do minor dishonest acts to favor our totalitarian regime, by serving as fronts for bigger crooks; those who keep doing small business with this government, but I am also considering the people who do some of these only to survive.

According to International Transparency and insightcrime.org, the estimated amount for the sac of Venezuela in the last 20 years has been more than 350 billion USD, most of this money was diverted from the huge resources that entered my country after the oil boom between 2003 and 2009. But the robbery and dilapidation were done mainly by less than 50 high-ranking members of the so-called “socialist” administration, from which around 20 are currently been persecuted by the US treasury department. His names are also linked with drug trafficking and money laundry from terrorism.

Sometimes you could usually listen in colloquial chats about someone who know people connected with medium or small size business linked with the red government. They are stockholders that the only possibility to save his industries was contracted with the state, for this they had to pay extra money for several medium directors to receive the permits. Those bribes are just gathered by these lesser crooks which increase the cost of production that as well increase inflation in Venezuela.

Another bad practice is to serve as the front of the bigger corrupts, receiving several thousands of dollars or have the opportunity to do some more illegal business. Maybe I am been naïve, obvious, and repetitive when pointing these common acts, however, the perversity of this is being applauded for the same people as survivors for the wellbeing of their families. They do not think about the damage to the nation and their names.

Maybe the most terrible minor crooks are the accomplices who receive contracts for selling the regulated products for feeding the less fortunate members of Venezuela, who are around 80% of the population.

Other more evident practices are the request for money from the members of the National Guard and Police Departments across the control points all over the main motorways. They usually stop you to check papers, if you fail at least in one they say, Ok I will forgive this for a collaboration. However, if you have all your proper documents they devise the more absurd excuse to request the collaboration. Several people have no money and pass several hours in the place even with children and elders onboard. This is an old practice and very common over the world, and in Venezuela before the socialists. Nevertheless, the nowadays frequency is appalling. For example, a trip from Caracas to Cumana is 6 hours by road but during the journey, you need to give money and goods to at least 5 checkpoints. I know from people who do regular this travel who have a box nearby his seat with gifts-bribe like corn flour, rice, and as the last resource 10 to 20 USD.

Getting petrol for your car is another twisted trip. The queues of cars start the night before. However, once you are close to the gas pump, national guards pass several friends or people who had paid bribes and jump before you. Several protesters had been shot by the police or the guards, just on a few occasions, an angry population avoids such practices.

How a nation has turned so crooked, so permissive with such practices and bad habits. There are no punishments for bribed cops or the military, if you try to denounce them, your life could be at serious risk. But the more dreadful thing is that most of the lesser crooks are seen as successful persons.