Obeying the Law Is Bad for Business

Despite the ongoing effort to beatify Laura Codruta Kovesi, not everyone in the business community happy. In this moronic Bloomberg piece, Ion Tiriac and others complain that prosecuting government officials for corruption is bad for business: Tiriac told journalists he had spent more than two years trying to line up the necessary government approvals, but a sweeping crackdown on corruption has made civil servants reluctant … Continue reading Obeying the Law Is Bad for Business

Bucharest Squandered Crazy Amounts of Money

Well, it’s only “crazy amounts” of money if you’re unfamiliar with the standard amount of graft and corruption that goes on every day in Romania, especially in the capital. From here: Among the more jaw-dropping details are districts paying €1,000 ($1,083) apiece for park benches, and one area splashing out a total of €8,200 ($8,886) on 13 trashcans lovingly fashioned from exotic wood. No mention … Continue reading Bucharest Squandered Crazy Amounts of Money

Media Finally Pays Attention to Moldova

At long last, the worthless AP bureau in Bucharest began paying attention to the protests that have been rocking Chisinau (the capital of the Republic of Moldova) for days: The protest came amid a standoff between President Nicolae Timofti and the pro-European governing coalition. Timofti on Thursday nominated Ion Paduraru, the general secretary of his presidential office, to be prime minister — a day after … Continue reading Media Finally Pays Attention to Moldova

Loan Shark

Word Count: 657 Brief background in case you’re just joining us: The Republic of Moldova (where I live) is a divided country, where some people speak Romanian at home and some people speak Russian. Likewise, politics are divided, with some groups wanting to join the European Union, and some groups wanting closer ties with Russia (and its Customs Union, similar to the EU). And so, … Continue reading Loan Shark