Are Brazilian politicians corrupt?

Are most politicians corrupt or do they just have to compromise?

• It seems that almost all discussions I've read on the web that involve the mention of politicians seem at some point to mention that the politicians are corrupt. This assumption is rarely challenged and so would for the most part be accepted as truth. Of the politicians (from local to national) that I've worked with, every single one of them has been in politics on that basis they want to improve society not to line their own pockets. Are politicians corrupt where you live?

• Answer:

  I have no definitive answer (this is a very subjective question), but I would think that it's more the system that can be corrupted, rather than corrupted individuals.  Whoever speaks loudest and most often (i.e. lobbyists) gets heard most.  Ergo, those who can afford to speak loudest (i.e. big business) benefit more than those who cannot speak.  Until movements gain a massive voice (e.g. Libya), they cannot match the other noise.  This is one reason SOPA/PIPA gained so much political traction, until the internet populace fought back.