Who is the worst "white collar" criminal in recent history?

[ColbertWatcher]

Poll question: Who is the worst "white collar" criminal in recent history?

[Sebastian Doyle]

1. Definitely the Bush Crime Family.

They played a role in setting up the FIRST Great Depression, as well as the second one that we're in right now. Not to mention all the crimes in between.

[ColbertWatcher]

2. True.

Plus, I guess a vote for Ken Lay would be a vote for them too.

[Canuckistanian]

3. For a single person,I'd have to say Lay

He practically built a whole EMPIRE based on cheating, greed and government corruption.

Bernie Madoff was an amateur.

[dysfunctional press]

4. how would ayn rand or milton friedman be considered "criminal"? what would the charges be?

:shrug:

[ozu]

11. Yeah

I don't think espousing an unpopular ethos is considered a crime.

[Sebastian Doyle]

22. Well, if I wrote a book on how to bludgeon and strangle women and Ted Bundy read it

technically that wouldn't make me a murderer, but I sure as Hell would have inspired one, right?

[dysfunctional press]

27. and what crime would that fall under?

:shrug:
last i heard, we lived in a society that doesn't punish someone for espousing their point of view. and i think that most of us would prefer it stay that way...right?

[Sebastian Doyle]

30. A lot of the CRIMINALS who have defrauded this country for the last 28 years

consider Rand and Friedman as their heroes. Apparently so do you, or you wouldn't be defending two complete pieces of shit like them.

[dysfunctional press]

31. "Apparently so do you, or you wouldn't be defending two complete pieces of shit like them"

:eyes:

apprently YOU would prefer a world where the thought police were charged with arresting those who espoused views contrary to the workings of the state...you're welcome to it.

btw- what other authors and columnists would you have rounded up and taken to the camps? the far right has MANY more such 'heroes'no sense in letting ANY of them escape "justice".

name some more names.

[Sebastian Doyle]

32. This is Democratic Underground

If you want to start a "Libertarian Nazis who inspired right wing corporate criminals appreciation thread", there are more appropriate venues for such a thing.

[dysfunctional press]

33. why would someone like you who proposes a totalitarian state with no 1st amendment rights post here?

because i'm kind of curious to find out. :shrug:

it seems like the kind of place that is completely contrary to your espoused ideals of stifling free speech.

[Name removed]

34. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[dysfunctional press]

37. why do some people resort to name-calling when they have no arguments left?

whatever a 'randtard' is anyway...:shrug:

[indepat]

5. Singularly, all the Wall Street whores who knowingly peddled toxic mortgage-backed

unregulated securities sanitized with a fraudulent "AAA" rating to an unknowing public, making god-zillions of dollars in bonuses in the process and much of the genesis of what we now have: a meltdown with the taxpayer bailing out Wall Street to the tune of probably trillions of dollars. :P

[Waiting For Everyman]

6. Phil Gramm.

And throw in his wife Wendy as a two-fer.

[ColbertWatcher]

14. I knew I forgot someone! n/t

[Fire1]

18. +1

[lpbk2713]

7. The corrupt & evil BushCo Regime

Whoever is in #2 position isn't even close.

[geek tragedy]

8. What about Michael Milken and Ivan Boesky? n/t

[AllieB]

29. They're so 1980s.

;-)

[omega minimo]

9. OLLIE NORTH WAS NOT A "HERO"

:puke:

[AlinPA]

10. Bush.

[camera obscura]

12. Without Friedman's ideas the Bush admin would never have known how to abuse their powers

[dysfunctional press]

13. that doesn't make friedman a criminal.

unless we're going to start categorizing 'thought crimes'...:shrug:

[DireStrike]

15. Everyone listed are fall guys/gals, except the bushies. And possibly Murdoch. -nt-

milton friedman and ayn rand did something criminal?

[ColbertWatcher]

16. Re: Friedman and Rand ...

... they would be as criminal as Charles Manson, I guess.

[DireStrike]

19. So authors are now co-conspirators

I know the pen is mightier than the sword, but come on. I don't like that thinking one bit.

I wish they'd never put pen to paper, but they are not criminals.

[ColbertWatcher]

25. All I can say then is don't vote for them. Pick another or choose "other."

I'm glad that we are discussing that their ideas are not criminal.

[dysfunctional press]

21. how is bernie madoff a "fall guy", and for whom?

:shrug:

[DireStrike]

23. Well, I don't have anything specific about that.

I just assume that the bad guys got away, as usual. He couldn't have done it alone.

Regardless of whether he did, note how only the guy who stole from the wealthy is going to jail. There are countless other swindlers responsible for illegal market activities and schemes. But they don't affect celebrities. Only regular people and the country at large were harmed. This is not a concern for justice.

[TWiley]

17. GEORGE BUSH

Guilty of larceny by conversion. Tax dollars into war into and then into texas oil, haliburton, and the carlisle group.

Then there are the non-financial criminal activites

[havocmom]

20. Little Dick Cheney

Absolutely

[Marr]

26. I'd agree with you.

Cheney's a real monster-- not just an accountant with some tricks or a corrupt politician. He's actively promoted fear, hate, and death for decades, all while wearing a nice, white collar. I'd put him the same class as Kissinger.

[L. Coyote]

24. The Bush Junta stealing Florida 2000!! HUGE D'oh!!!!

[-..__...]

28. The Queen of Mean...

Leona Helmsley...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leona_Helmsley

Hopefully... she's cleaning chamber pots with her tongue in hells hotel right about now.

[Maru Kitteh]

35. I was just going to say that Bernie is the new Leona.

It's way true.

[Quantess]

36. Why is Jim Cramer on the list?

He's just a babbling douchebag shill, right? Or do people think he is some kind of evil genius?

[MiniMe]

38. We don't know about it yet, but it is huge!