When I was in high school, I overheard a teacher saying that
another teacher had received a kickback from a textbook publisher
for choosing a particular chemistry textbook.

And, for physical education, we all had to purchase a particular
style of gym suit, which could only be purchased through the school.
We couldn't use the ones we wore (of a different style) in junior high.
I asked the gym teacher why we had to buy these new suits, and why
couldn't we just wear shorts and a tee-shirt. I got no answer. I now
know that the teacher probably received a kickback for forcing the
students to purchase the suits.

About 16 years ago my then-16-year-old cousin was in an automobile
accident. It wasn't his fault, and he wasn't hurt, but the car was
totaled. The accident happened less than a mile down the road from
his house, so his parents were quickly at the scene. The car had to
be removed, and was not drivable. A nearby neighbor, "Ted," fixed cars for
a living and had a tow truck. Ted's place is where my aunt and uncle
wanted the car to be towed. The cop at the scene refused to let them
do that, because Ted wasn't licensed. The cop called a towing
company, which towed the car some 20 miles away, and my aunt and uncle
had to pay for the towing. The next day they had to get the car towed
back to Ted's place. This time the towing charge was $20 less than
the day before. The same towing company and the same distance, but
a different price. My aunt asked why, but got no answer. The real
answer is that the cop got a kickback.

A few years later my uncle died, and I offered to help my aunt go
through the probate process. I had handled the probate process
myself when my mother died, in another county, about 10 years earlier.
So we went to the probate court to get the forms needed to start
probating my uncle's estate. The court clerks refused to give us the forms,
saying that you have to have a lawyer. I told them I didn't need
a lawyer when I probated my mother's estate in another county, in the same
state. Their answer was "Judge's rules." An honest lawyer I know
told me what was going on was a kickback scheme, where the probate judge
forced people to hire lawyers, who in return gave campaign contributions
and support to the judge when he ran for election.

The medical profession has a more genteel term for kickbacks: fee
splitting. I think I may have encountered this recently. Overnight
I developed an excruciating pain in my hip. There was no way I
could work with this much pain (I could barely walk), so I needed to go on a medical leave
of absence. Under federal law employees are entitled to 12 weeks of
medical leave per year, but I had to have a doctor sign the forms.
I don't have health insurance, so I called the local free clinic.
They said they didn't handle cases like this, and referred me to an
osteopath's office which "only" charged $75. (I later learned that I
probably could have received free care at a hospital; why didn't
the free clinic tell me that, another kickback scheme?) The osteopath
would only sign the leave forms for two weeks, which was absolutely
ridiculous. They sent me for X-rays, which showed arthritis. I then
asked if they would sign the leave forms for more time, but they refused,
because they were referring me to an orthopedic surgeon (another osteopath),
and he would be the one to sign the leave forms. More
kickbacks, I'm sure, but they didn't get any, because I didn't go
to the surgeon. I am using natural supplements, glucosamine, MSM, cod
liver oil, and Fluidjoint, to help the arthritis.

I am tired of corrupt America, with its pretense of justice. Maybe
people are better off in Third World countries, where bribery is conducted
quite openly, and the officials and professionals don't pretend to be honest.