Jedvagenij - pseudointelektualno preseravanje

After a four-year war with rebel
Serbs, the country achieved its
national independence. But it
came at a high cost: A Balkan
criminal underworld took root,
smuggling guns, drugs and
cigarettes during much of the
fighting. Many gangsters
infiltrated the government. Also,
many former communists simply
changed the Titoist red star for
the Croatian red-and-white
checkerboard. They retained
their authoritarian, corrupt
habits. The Croatian state
became pregnant with a new
criminal elite - one whose
tentacles reach into every sector
of society.
The governing Croatian
Democratic Union , known by its
acronym HDZ, is the political
expression of this gangster ruling
class. Its former prime minister,
Ivo Sanader , is under
investigation for embezzlement,
bribery, corruption and
influence-peddling. High-ranking
sources both within the
government and outside say
that, along with his cronies, Mr.
Sanader plundered public assets.
They have amassed huge
personal fortunes - all at the
expense of the Croatian
taxpayer. The HDZ elite have
stolen or siphoned off about $1
billion - a grotesque sum for
such a small nation. Mr. Sanader
belongs in one place: the dock.
He should answer for his crimes
to the Croatian people.
Moreover, the HDZ refuses to
implement sweeping reforms
needed to kick-start Croatia 's
sluggish economy. Zagreb
continues to embrace a
bureaucratic corporatist model
marked by a bloated public
sector, stifling regulation and
crushing taxes. The reason is
simple: Creating a genuine free-
market economy would dissolve
the stranglehold the ruling class
has on society. Croatia 's
politicians derive their power -
and wealth - from statism and
the massive bureaucracy,
creating a vast patronage
machine dispensing jobs to loyal
allies.