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A Modest
Proposal
January
31, 2002
by Isaac Peterson
Much as I've tried, I can't avoid piling on and writing
about Enron.
There are so many facts coming out every day, some days I
spend all my free time reading about the collapse of the corporation
that owned the White House. And it's looking more and more
like that's exactly what Enron did. Actually, it looks like
they made investments in the rest of the government and the
judiciary, too. There are so many people in both parties who
took massive amounts of money from not just Enron, but Arthur
Andersen, too. If everyone who took money from those two has
to recuse (excuse) themselves from handling the investigations,
that would pretty much leave just a little old lady from Pasadena
and Billy Bob Bodine from the Ozarks.
One of the things that's blowing me away is that lots of
people don't seem to be buying the spin from the White House
and the rest of the GOP. Polls just came out saying that most
people believe this is more a Republican scandal than a Democratic
one. And regardless what Ari Fleischer or any of the spinmeisters
are saying, this is a scandal. Anyone who says otherwise is
living in Denial, Idaho.
We've seen George W. Gump try to play the victim when he
said his mother in law had lost $8,000 in Enron stock. Boo
hoo, George. $8,000 is probably less than what you guys hide
in the cookie jar. This one was after he had been caught in
a lie saying that Kenneth Lay supported Ann Richards in the
1984 governor's race. Yes he did, but he gave about 3 times
as much to Gump. And I couldn't have been any more surprised
than Gump was when the media pointed out the lie. Honor and
integrity, my ass!
One of the main points to take way from this whole Enron/Arthur
Andersen biz is that they handed out money to both sides of
the aisle. Sure, there were Democrats that got money from
Enron. But it's hard for me to believe that John Dingell getting
$19,500 since 1989 to now makes him quite as bought and paid
for as the millions that went to Gump and the administration.
Republicans got the lion's share of what was handed out. That,
and the way they've been tripping over their tongues the last
few weeks are making this look more like their scandal. Cheney
is definitely not helping their cause by refusing to release
details of who had input into our 'energy policy.'
Enron gave money to both sides, and if you think it was because
they were interested in good government, I've got got some
Enron stock I'll sell you for only $80.00 a share.
Everyone I know personally who has contributed to a campaign
did so because they thought that candidate would be the best
representative for her or his best interests. They do not
give money to their candidate and money to their opponent
also. When corporations do that, you can bet that they are
not looking at is as a contribution, but an investment. Hedging
their bets means that no matter which wins, that corporation
owns a piece of them.
No one is going to convince me that Enron's money didn't
have anything to do with the administration looking the other
way while Enron raped California, or that the 17 provisions
in "our" energy policy that benefited Enron was just a coincidence.
It will take a smoother talker than Ari Fleischer or Mary
Matalin to get me to believe that the revolving door between
Enron and the top levels of the adminstration didn't have
anything to do with how this government has run the last year.
This adminstration is top heavy with people who were also
employed or retained by Enron. No way is it a coincidence
that Enron made contributions and got exemptions from laws
that would have kept them from doing much of the wrong they
did. No way that the lapse in oversight about the way they
handled their pension fund and screwed their employees was
'just one of those things.' That's harder to swallow than
a half-chewed pretzel.
I want to be careful not to imply guilt just by association,
but the temptation is too strong. When I hear George W. Gump
say that Enron is a model for how the government should be
run and a model for privatizing Social Security, I can't help
myself. When I find out that Ken Lay had de facto approval
over who filled positions in the administration regarding
energy, and was considered for a position himself, I don't
need to be Columbo to get a clue about what was going on.
Using Enron as a model for how businesses (and the government)
should be run is like watching porno movies to learn how to
have a stable, committed relationship.
I'm sure Gump wouldn't agree with me, but it looks like what
happened was due to the actions of 'evildoers' and 'tearists.'
You know those Enron employees were terrified when they saw
their retirement funds disappear like George W. from military
duty. What Enron did to consumers in California with the fake
energy crisis, mainpulating every market they had their fingers
in, buying influence at the top levels of government, and
certainly causing their employees to lose their life savings
- all of that was evil. Didn't Gump vow to wipe out all evil
back in September? He has said he was outraged over the Enron
mess, but I have no doubt that what he meant was that he was
outraged that they got caught. And there isn't a doubt in
my mind that there already aren't plans being made and arms
getting twisted to keep Kenny Boy Lay as far as away from
prison as possible.
When I think of the crap Clinton went through year after
year for losing money on a failed land deal and having an
affair outside his marriage, I get angry thinking that these
people up to their eyeballs in Enron could skate for the very
real crimes they committed. It is entirely possible that a
handful of lower level scapegoats will get handed prison sentences
while the heavy hitters get soft time in a country club prison
- if they get anything at all. Fines won't do it in this case
- BILLIONS were stolen by the people involved. And I would
not be surprised to see Presidential pardons issued. It's
happened before with the Senior Gump, and it wouldn't surprise
me in the least to see Gump, the Sequel follow in the old
man's footsteps. Apple trees grow apples, after all.
So here's my proposal: let's round up all the people involved
in the Enron/Arthur Andersen mess. Then we set up secret civilian
tribunals and give them total authority. We leave the punishment
completely up to them, with no chance for review or appeal.
Whatever the tribunal says, goes. And we give former Enron
employees first crack at serving on the panels.
What do you say?
Isaac Peterson is still not over it.
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