Reply #1: More slap-on-the-wrist stings are definitely needed... [View All]

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...small fines like that help dissuade people who are starting
down that road. It doesn't do much for the people who are already
committed to living the life of parasite, though.

Just, you have to be careful not to allow the punishment on those
types of things to become so severe that it locks the culprit
into a vicious poverty and or criminal-justice cycle from which there's
no "going straight." Society should have a certain level of
forgiveness built in.

Also it would be nice if they could find out a way to do the same
for certain types of day-traders, not just paper hangers, because
having a "white collar common criminal" class that can't be
prosecuted isn't exactly just, either.

In the meantime, though, all the half-bit con men are working from
a world view that it is necessary to steal to prosper. This world-view
comes from a sense of injustice, which comes from watching people
who don't deserve it pull in huge pay checks. Most people can stand
the idea that someone is rich enough to live without working, but
when they see these CEO's not just living off old money, but pulling
in immense pay checks, it is much easier to rationalize crime.

We have to fix that as a country, because not everyone can chin
up and put their personal sense of integrity front and center
100% of the time... it takes the support of just society. With
modern media, that starts at the top with the biggest injustices.
Until those are fixed we'll have a lot more dishonesty on the street
level.