Originally Posted By mele Remember those recorded phone conversations where Enron workers were laughing about ripping off grandmas?
Originally Posted By RoadTrip I can understand why Lay and Skilling were shocked. For decades, no level of government has done much to pursue white collar crime. When they did, the usual result was fines rather than jail time. Enron was huge enough and shocking enough that it shook the government out of it's complacency towards white collar crime. So now, in my opinion, the government has gone a bit too far in the other direction. I mean MARTHA STEWART??? Come on!! Lay and Skilling certainly deserve the convictions, and if they spend the rest of their lives in jail they deserve that too. But I also understand why they are shocked that it is happening because for years and years they would have never faced what they are facing now.
Originally Posted By cape cod joe I never knew about those phone conversations. I would love to get those 2 pieces of garbage at a LP meet and let us go after them
Originally Posted By Kennesaw Tom A dozen lifetime sentences would be enough for me to believe that justice was done. These guys lied and stole thousands of families retirements, college eduations. They are evil evil people.
Originally Posted By vbdad55 Yeah, I figured Martha either really ticked someone off somewhere or else there was more to that case than was released and that is why she accepted the penalty she got.... But for these two Bozo's -- they got what they deserved and kudo's to the prosecutors and all involved for finally , finally representing at least a little, the average worker. I hope tonight all the other Lay's and Skilling's are anxiously trying to rememberwhat they took from whom and what may have been recorded etc.....because we know there are more than these two crooks out there.
Originally Posted By fkurucz >>Enron was huge enough and shocking enough that it shook the government out of it's complacency towards white collar crime.<< I think that it was more than that. What was really at stake was the reputation of the US as the ultimate destination for investment. The Enron scandal broke down this image (which is based on the concept of transparency). The government (and the SEC) had to show the world that we are serious about transparency (hence the passage of Sarbanes-Oxely). Because of the twin monster deficits we canot afford to have our reputation permanently damaged. The concept of transparency implies that it should ideally be impossible for a corporation to cook the books. This provides confidence to foreign investors, and gives them an incentive to park their money in the US.
