I am reminded of the tradition in Chicago that when you bribe an alderman or judge to do you a favor, you put the dirty money in an envelope and put the envelope on the table.  It seems that even among public servants who are as crooked as a dog’s hind leg, there is some residual <i>shame</i> at taking bribes, which expresses itself as an unwillingness to touch the bribe with bare hands.<p>(But maybe I’m reading too much into that tradition: last year, a Boston city councillor was videotaped by the FBI stuffing cash into her bra.)