There Oughta Be A Law!

[xthread]

In another venue, someone argued 'the people who caused the mortgage meltdown be in jail?!'

I don't know if any of you, dear readers, happen to hold that view, but, if you do, would you be so kind as to tell me, in general terms, who you think ought to be in jail, and in specific terms, what you think they should be in jail for?

Let me note two important things at the outset: remember that lying to people is usually only against the law if you're doing so to cheat them out of money (which is why Bernie Madoff is in jail), and it's unconstitutional to make laws that make something retroactively illegal.

Got your moral outrage ready? Go!

Comments

[corpsefairy.livejournal.com]

FWIW, I don't know if this is what you intended, but the way you framed this really sounds as if you're saying, "I know all about what happened and how it works, but I'm not going to tell you. Now, defend yourself!"

It's kinda condescending.

[xthread.livejournal.com]

The viewpoint 'the CEOs must have known, lock 'em up and throw away the key,' looks to me like magical thinking. Given the available data we have about what happened, I can't imagine a way to justify that viewpoint with logic that holds together better than the Underpants Gnomes. It doesn't look like it makes any more sense than the argument 'it's all the fault of the deadbeat poor people who borrowed money they couldn't pay back!'

But I know that people who hold that point of view think they have reasonable reasons for holding it. And I'd rather ask them what those reasons are instead of imputing a rationale for their view.