Then, you have to go to India to see really criminal legislators. Of the 5000+ candidates for office in the state of Uttar Pradesh, 720 have been charged in criminal cases. That's almost 15%. But it isn't only candidates who face criminal charges in Uttar Pradesh. More than half of the 403 members of the current legislature also face criminal charges. We'd have to have more than 200 Congressmen facing criminal charges to compete with the venality of the Uttar Pradesh legislature.
Most of these criminals run in order to make money through the granting of construction contracts; they spend most of their time dealing with construction. As a result, child malnutrition levels in India are worse than in Sub-Saharan Africa; 46% of Indian children under 3 are underweight. In Uttar Pradesh, polio has come back; only Nigeria has more cases of polio than does Uttar Pradesh.
The problem of electing those who have either been convicted or are accused of crimes seems to be a factor of the caste system. "He may be a criminal, but he is our criminal," seems to be the mantra.
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