Tragedy + Time = ???
I was having conversations with some people the last couple of days about Enron. The sheer magnitude of the fraud and how deeply this thing went is unbelievable. Given some more time, and having gained some perspective, Enron’s crimes don’t seem any less huge than they did when it first happened.
One of the big things that really hits home is how this entire thing was enabled in part by George Bush (the first iteration). The Energy Act of 1992 allowed Enron to trade their energy over the infrastructure that already existed. This is not to say that the Bush’s are responsible for the illegal activity. I will go out on a limb and give George Bush the benefit of the doubt, in that I don’t think by opening the door for Ken Lay and the boys to make money, that he wanted them to commit the largest case of fraud in corporate history.
Sure, George W. got money for his elections from the man he called “Kenny Boy,” but I implore you to name one employee in an elected position in the U.S. Government that doesn’t look for some form of corporate sponsorship to support election costs. What I am saying is don’t hate the player. Hate the game. You can harp on Bush for many things, none of which I am going to go into, but I haven’t seen sufficient evidence and in my deduction I don’t think there is just cause, at this point, to roast his ass on this one. In time, maybe there will be.
The other reason that I bring this up today is I have a nomination for the “Too Little, Too Late” Awards. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has told Enron it can’t sell power at competitive market prices.
BWAHAHAHA! Snort, chortle, and giggle.
And….
Scene.
Way to go Pat. Nice job protecting consumers’ you jackass. It may not have been your fault, but doesn’t this seem rather post-emptive?
Also announced today,
The FBI wants to alert U.S. citizens that they should be on the lookout for Jeffery Dahmer, who is considered armed and dangerous even though he already died in prison. They are considering giving his already dead corpse the electric chair to ensure future public safety from this menace.
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If you become too accepting of a condition that you really don’t want to encourage, you might just end up with unintended consequences.
But: “According to the US Centre for Public Integrity, Mr Lay and Enron donated more than $500,000 to Bush campaign coffers – making Enron the president’s largest single patron.”
Can we say that generally when a politician receives money from someone that that person would be said to have the electee’s ear? And can we say that when I GIVE you 1/2 a million dollars, I have not only your ear, but your dick in my hand?
Then: “Mr Cheney is alleged to have met Enron executives four times in 2001 to discuss energy policy.”
Then: “Mr Lay apparently asked [Paul] O’Neill to encourage US banks to extend their credit to Enron, but was refused.”
A similar situation: I sell you your stash of Pot, or at least, in this case, make it easy for you to buy, and then when you get busted, hey man, do I know you? Well, yea, officer, I have seen that guy around, I even talked to him 4 times, but never about drugs. Sure, he called once or twice… wanted to borrow some money. But I said no.
Ok, I am biased against politics. If you are a politician, you are lying. It is part of your job description.
“Wanted: Good liar to run mid-sized constitutional republic. Must have clean background or be willing to creatively embellish. Golf skills preferred. Apply with your local constituency. No minorities or women need apply.”
Your pot example is a little off. No matter what, buying pot is illegal. The energy act had the potential (at least as far as my elementary understanding goes) to be used in a legal manner. And again, I ask what politician from what party does not look for corporate sponsorship?
Sure, everyone looks for sponsorship, but that doesn’t mean that when the donor is the Biggest Single Sponsor you’ve got and turns out to be The Biggest Single Scumbag On The Planet we shouldn’t ask some pointed questions about whether there was some malfeasance on the part of the pol.
We may never find that the current administration was directly involved with the Enron shenanigans, because either they weren’t, or they kept their involvement at sufficient arms’ length to provide effective deniability. But they sure as hell helped encourage an environment that made such shenanigans more likely. Look at the SEC, where they booted a guy (Arthur Leavitt) who was on the warpath against just this kind of crap, and replaced him with a patsy.
There should be a Special Prosecutor trying to figure out what, if any, role the administration, especially Mr. Cheney, played in the Enron mess. You’d think that if Clinton’s BJs merited one, this might. Call me naive.