"There is no culture of corruption in Santa Fe."

So there I was, trading jabs with "no for turner" on the Democracy for New Mexico site, link, when out of the blue, s/he wrote;

There is no culture of corruption in Santa Fe.

I am firmly of the belief, there is. But I am willing to reexamine that belief. Where, exactly, does this train leave the track?

Wikipedia, link, avers that a culture is;

the set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices
that characterizes an institution, organization or group

"no for turner" writes; the shared set of values and practices in Santa Fe, are not corrupt.

by which I assume s/he means, again from the wikipedia, link, there is in Santa Fe, no

dysfunction of a political system or institution in which government officials, political officials or employees seek illegitimate personal gain through actions such as bribery, extortion, etc

So is the culture of corruption real or imagined?

It is enough that stakeholders believe that there is corruption and incompetence in their government.

There is a practical test;

when the headline reads, another public servant found guilty, is anybody surprised?

If nobody is surprised, it is because they have accepted that
there is public corruption in Santa Fe.

Deniers argue; if there is corruption, there would be convictions.

The arguement is specious; it is based on the assumption,
the law actually works.

In a practical sense, whether a reality or a misperception,
it is a distinction without a difference; both need to be cured,
and the cure for either is the cure for both.

"no for turner" continues;

It is the job of the AG, the state auditor and the legal system to monitor government actions, not the LG. That's why we have a US attorney. Get it?

by which I assume s/he means, it is unreasonable to expect the Lt Governor to stand conspicuously against the entrenched corruption and incompetence.

It is not only the job of the Lt Governor to stand up conspicuously against public corruption, it is the job of every politician and public servant.

I simply can't imagine how anyone could be at the same time,

• intending to end the culture of corruption, and
• unwilling to admit one exists.

How can a problem be solved at the same time its
very existence is being tacitly and/or overtly denied?

I think that it is important for political candidates to acknowledge,

1. either there is a culture of corruption in Santa Fe or,
2. there is a widespread perception of a culture of corruption and incompetence in Santa Fe.

That said, I would be highly suspicious of anyone who says
this is all public misperception.

I would be even more suspicious of anyone
who won't talk about the "culture of corruption" at all.