All of us who have been here a while know the lay of the land. I've been here 16 years. But do you ever consider what a pickle Thailand would be in without the "back-hander"? There are literally whole sectors of the work force, cops, immigration and even teachers, who simply could not afford to live teir established lifestyle were they required to get by on just their official salary. Corruption is so embedded that if you ask the average Thai what is and is not a corrupt action, they are unlikely to spot even half of the corruption. Everybody gets the "you got stopped by the cops driving when you were drunk" so you paid 2000-3000 baht to them to let you go, but many don't realize that the envelope with 5000-10,000 baht that you present to the admissions official at a reputable public school for your child to get in is even a bribe.