Gangster Government: the new way to get things done

Gangster Government
Michael Barone, Senior Political Analyst (May 6, 2009):
". . . what bankruptcy lawyer Tom Lauria said on a WJR talk show . . . 'One of my clients,' Lauria told host Frank Beckmann, 'was directly threatened by the White House and in essence compelled to withdraw its opposition to the deal under threat that the full force of the White House press corps would destroy its reputation if it continued to fight.'

"We have just seen an episode of Gangster Government. It is likely to be part of a continuing series."

See Michelle Bachmann (R-MN) stand up to Gangster Government (YouTube)

The new way to get things done
Life and Death in Shanghai by Nien Cheng (1986)
[page 365]

"What's a back door?"

"There's a new way to get things done. It means making arrangements to see a doctor or to buy something one needs urgently through friends or acquaintances rather than going through the regular channels," she explained. "Of course, back doors generally cost more because we have to give presents, not money, to those who make the arrangements. But in many instances, it's the only way to get things done nowadays."

"Isn't that illegal?" I asked her. I remembered how the Party used to frown on such practices and how fearful the people were of doing anything like that. Before the Cultural Revolution, except for the very privileged, nobody dared to make private arrangements for anything.

". . . I suppose when one gets caught, it's illegal. When one gets away with it, it's legal. People using the back door seem to get away with it, so everybody does it."