As someone planning a move to a place that lacks a robust western style "administrative state" and instead has a deeply inefficient and corrupt administrative state (there are very few issues in mexico that the right sized envelope in the right hands doesn't fix), these people have no fucking clue what they're asking for when they cheer on the dismantling of the "deep state". Wife and I are going through construction planning right now and on the advice of our fucking architect, we've already started setting aside a cash stash off the books "just in case" there are problems with permits (permitting delays can last well over a year in some parts of the country), over zealous municipal inspectors, etc. The worst part of it is that the amounts themselves aren't that big at all, but it's common that once someone has dipped into your pocket, you're going to magically need a few more things from them during whatever process they're helping you with and then magically again someone else they're aligned with will come for an inspection their department should have nothing to do with, etc and it just turns into a parade of relatively small envelopes quietly shuffled into pockets.
This is what happens when corruption becomes endemic in a country's administration. We're not talking about the unfortunately normal corruption at the top end of well connected donor companies getting government contracts in no bid or opaque process contract awards. The type of corruption that gets governments voted out during the next election. This is a full on culture of everyone filling their pockets as a part of doing their day to day jobs. People living in modern western nations just have no concept or experience in dealing with that type of corruption and the dismantling of the "deep state" will very likely bring that type of cronyism. As long as you're kicking an envelope up to your boss, and he to his, you're good to make as much side money as you can as long as you keep it quiet.
