Hold these 'people' accountable
A report on CNN said the "Justice" Department will try harder to hold executives responsible for corporate wrongdoings. It also said don't expect to see CEOs in handcuffs any time soon. It went on to say it " may be years before changes are visible."
The 2008 financial meltdown produced no major criminal prosecutions, even though the Citizens United Supreme Court decision said that corporations are people. This led some of us to think that the people -- corporate executives responsible for a financial display of hubris and greed -- might actually be brought to justice for putting millions of us out of work, out of our homes and some of us out of the work force forever, thanks to their decisions.
Executives have actually complained about the billions in fines they have paid in order to escape criminal charges and imprisonment, while making tens of billions in profits. Meanwhile the "Justice" department said much of the conduct that led to the financial crisis was related to greed, not criminal behavior.
So if I rob a bank because of greed, then I don't have to go to prison because it is not criminal behavior, right?
Here is a suggestion: Since corporations are people, if their executives were engaged in these practices -- including the Libor scam, the manipulation of rates on trillions of dollars in mortgages, loans, credit cards and other transaction -- how about a class action suit involving every citizen affected?
This would amount to around 250 million individuals and the amount could be set at what I would suggest -- $1 trillion. Maybe that would get their attention.
Lawyers will get most of it, but the cost to the guilty would run into something larger than the slaps on the wrists they have been getting for the last seven years.
Michael Wade
Ellerslie
Budget re-routing
It seems that Mr. Roy Bourgeois has gotten a bit "confoozed," again. Not only is he still barking at the moon about "SOA" (the former School of the Americas, at Fort Benning) by conflating its mission and former existence with the current Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation, but he also seems to believe that federal taxpayers' money spent on maintaining that institution can somehow be magically channeled into the coffers of the Columbus city government. He suggests (L-E, 9/10), that by not training Latin American soldiers and police at WHINSEC, suddenly, Columbus' budget could accommodate all line items, including all current personnel staff positions.
What a hoot! If WHINSEC were closed, it would be a major blow to the economy of Columbus and the surrounding area (with the attendant drop in tax revenue), putting the city even further in the hole. The federal dollars spent on Fort Benning's many missions cycle directly into the region's bottom line. Take away any part, and you diminish the whole -- and the tax base decreases. Not one cent that would otherwise support WHINSEC would ever find its way to Mayor Tomlinson's treasury, as Brother B suggests. He might as well advocate for closing local businesses and manufacturers that would account for the same number of jobs -- thousands! -- and pretend that such an action would be (somehow) beneficial to the city's well-being.
I believe Mr. Bourgeois just feels a need to take pot-shots at WHINSEC, since SOA is no longer around. They had a few "bad apples," he says, and that may be true. Just as the Vatican finds it necessary once in a while to de-frock and excommunicate one of its priests, other large organizations also find some miscreants in the mix, but no one's advocating closing the Vatican, are they?
Jim Boling
Richland
Fairer, more productive
The Greater Columbus Home Builders Association endorses Mayor Tomlinson's sunset to the tax freeze. The current tax structure puts a heavy burden on any purchaser of a new home in Columbus. This is one reason why surrounding communities like Fort Mitchell, Smiths and Harris County are outpacing Columbus growth.
As surrounding bedroom communities grow, those residents come to Columbus for shopping, recreation and entertainment while the residents of Columbus pay for parks, roads and other infrastructure. The Mayor's proposed tax sunset allows current homeowners to keep their current property tax freeze while allowing a more normal tax structure to come back into Columbus. A more balanced property tax structure will encourage homebuyers to consider Columbus thus causing property values to increase.
Don Bowles
President, Greater Columbus Home Builders Association
Columbus
Cowardly ploy
On the eve of the 14th anniversary of the most cowardly and despicable attack on U.S. soil, the United States Senate held a vote to move forward on a resolution of disapproval on the President's deal with Iran.
In essence, 42 Senators are using a filibuster to prevent a simple "up or down" vote on one of the most important security issues of our times - not just for the United States, but for the world. These 42 Senators have taken a stand to prevent the President having to confirm his commitment to this deal by vetoing such a resolution.
The purpose of the filibuster is to extend debate to force the Senate to correct or strengthen weak bills, or in the case of truly bad bills, kill them. It is not meant to be a tool to be used by a minority to stop the Senate making a statement to the President about his actions or policies on issues of this magnitude.
By blocking this resolution this way, 42 Senators have acted in a cowardly and childish way. They have proven they lack the courage to stand with the President and uphold his veto if they believe this is a good deal. Instead, they have decided to balk at taking any definitive action.
Patrick S. Smith
Columbus
This story was originally published September 16, 2015 at 3:19 PM with the headline "Hold these 'people' accountable ."