The Great Rip-Off of 2008

Gordon Graham writes:

"The Great Rip-Off, December 24, 2008


I spent a large portion of my early life in and out of prisons. My crimes were mostly property crimes and parole violations, with an occasion escape thrown in. Doesn’t say much for my skills as a thief!

The past few months has focused our attention on a rip-off that should embarrass the most sophisticated of thieves in our prison system. It seems that $700 billion has just disappeared into thin air. The billions were meant to bailout a group of Wall Street swindlers who had ripped off the tax payers and brought the U.S. economy to its knees. That’s what I call taking crime to a whole new level.

My sympathy goes out to the thousands who fill our prisons. You could add up the total amount stolen by inmates in all state prisons and not reach the billions lost in the past few months by the largest corporations on Wall Street. Crime doesn’t pay unless you know how the real crooks play the game.

I’ve spent nearly forty years as an honest, tax paying citizen, working to assist men and women caught up in the criminal justice system. It offends every principle of decency to witness the greed and corruption of people who have so much, while trying to convince people who have so little that honesty pays.

The recent months and years have challenged my belief in people in power. We need change in a big way. Leadership sets the example. My hope is that Obama and his team can set that example which will resonate on Wall Street, Main Street and in cell blocks across this country."

written by
Gordon Graham