Asklemmy

43916 readers

1277 users here now

A loosely moderated place to ask open-ended questions

Search asklemmy 🔍

If your post meets the following criteria, it's welcome here!

Open-ended question
Not offensive: at this point, we do not have the bandwidth to moderate overtly political discussions. Assume best intent and be excellent to each other.
Not regarding using or support for Lemmy: context, see the list of support communities and tools for finding communities below
Not ad nauseam inducing: please make sure it is a question that would be new to most members
An actual topic of discussion

Looking for support?

Looking for a community?

Lemmyverse: community search
sub.rehab: maps old subreddits to fediverse options, marks official as such
!lemmy411@lemmy.ca: a community for finding communities

~Icon~ ~by~ ~@Double_A@discuss.tchncs.de~

founded 5 years ago

MODERATORS

You become President of the United States. A wealthy person attempts to bribe you to do what they tell you to do for one million US Dollars per year (paid weekly). Do you take this offer? (reddthat.com)

submitted 1 year ago by WtfEvenIsExistence@reddthat.com to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml

60 comments fedilink hide all child comments

If not, how much would you counteroffer?

(If you aren't an American, assume for this hypothetical that you were suddenly granted citizenship and all other requirements are waived.)

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments

[–] MJBrune@beehaw.org 9 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

I don't think you understand what the position of president can really do. If someone is bribing the president they aren't looking to get a permit or pass a law. They are looking for top classified information like military projects, CIA agents, nuclear infrastructure or nuclear activation codes. No amount of money would change my mind.

Presidents aren't typically bribed. I can only think of 1 in the last 30 years that probably accepted a bribe. That was probably to eat beans in the white house.

[–] WtfEvenIsExistence@reddthat.com 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I'm thinking of like a scenario where Congress doesn't lean either side, and a good law narrowly passed congress, and they want you to veto it. Also appoint their list of nominees for executive departments, courts. Using your position to push their propaganda, basically selling your self to be their puppet. Would you just ignore morals and get rich being a corrupt politician?

[–] MJBrune@beehaw.org 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Bribing an extra congress person is a lot cheaper and you have a lot more options. They would have bribed congress a lot more before it got to bribing the president.

[–] WtfEvenIsExistence@reddthat.com 0 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Bribing a congress person is only 1 of many votes. Bribing the president give you control over 1/3 of government, all nominations to executive departments, judicial nominations, and executive orders. I mean obviously 1 million isn't even a lot, I'm just trying to see how desparate are Lemmy users for money. I mean you can up the offer to 100 million per year for the president and still cheaper than 1 million per year per congress person for at least 51 senators, and 218 representatives. Even a 200 million offer is still cheaper than bribing congress. And 1 million isn't gonna be acceptable to some of the congress members who aren't that in need of money.

[–] MJBrune@beehaw.org 3 points 1 year ago

you only need 51 senators. You don't need to control the House if you control the Senate, only if you want to pass bills but if you want to block them then the 51 senators will do. The president can't enact laws, only veto them, which technically the Senate can override. So overall bribing 67 senators is the way to go. That said senators cost around 350 thousand a month. https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/former-arkansas-state-senator-sentenced-role-bribery-scheme