The bribe culture has been in Texas forever. I'm familiar with San Antonio's culture.
There are political street operatives who round up Mexican-American votes for cash. The traditional payment for a vote went from $1.00 in the 1930s-40s to $5.00 by the mid 80s. Don't live there anymore so don't have the market price.
Several city councilmen were recently convicted for being among a long line of politicians in Bexar county who took cash for votes.
Some judges were for sale. I had a young friend who had a drug bust for an ounce of speed--a serious felony offense and he was looking at 10-20 years. I took him to a Dem poltician/lawyer. He came out shaking his head, "I don't understand it," he said. "He told me that if I paid him $1500 this week (while judge so and so was presiding judge), he'd guarantee me immediate Deferred Adjudication, but if I couldn't pay it until next week, it'd only be $500 down, but he couldn't guarantee anything and I might go to jail." I laughed and explained what the lawyer was telling him. Do you smell a $1,000 rat?
Another judge was famous in attorney circles for ruling in favor of attractive ladies in contested divorces over money if they visited him privately in his chambers for sex. The lawyers arranged the trysts.
The corruption went so far that one night as I was standing next to a county judge at a noisy crowded singles bar, I heard him tell a man who claimed to be newly arrived in town who to call to score some cocaine.
Many City and county employees have routinely accepted bribes for various services they do for people.
Viva Mordida! It keeps the wheels of government and justice moving.
Thank the Lord that LBJ left the planet before the news of these Texas Scandals hit the news. Imagine that. Corruption in Texas! Just so hard to believe.
What's next? Vote fraud in the Mexican illegal alien community?