Prosecuting Fraud

[Cary]

For anyone who is interested I've had what has been, for me, an enlightening debate with some rightists. These are people who are hard core Bush apologists. If you're interested you can get the flavor here:

Apologists

I happen to be a lawyer who has litigated more than a few fraud cases over my career. Fraud is difficult to prove because it has an element of intent. It is also difficult to define because human beings' ability to find ways to flim flam seems to have no end.

But I think fraud is exactly what Republicans are doing--this is what occurred to me while debating the Apologists. They are so enmeshed with the fraud that they don't even recognize it as such.

The fraud is exactly what is drawn out in the DSM. We've been calling it "lying", which it is but it is also more than that. It is like a pyramid scheme where the participants don't even realize what they're doing wrong.

What awakened this realization that it's more than a lie. This administration consistently engages in outright fraud.

I was illustrating my point with the way Bush is selling Social Security. I researched the matter and was reading about how Republicans first advanced their arguments in Alf Landon's campaign against FDR in 1936 (Party of new ideas my ass--more like the party of ideas dusted off from the trash heap). I found information from Cato Institute literature suggesting that the failure from Landon through Goldwater and beyond was due to the negative nature of their message. Look closely at their theory, in 1983, to attack Social Security:

Cato recommended:

* Consistent criticism of Social Security to undermine confidence in it.
* Building a coalition of supporters for private accounts, including banks and other financial institutions that would benefit from them.
* Assuring "those already retired or nearing retirement that their benefits will be paid in full."
* Legislation making private savings plans such as individual retirement accounts more available and thus more familiar.

Now don't that look familiar (Party of new ideas my ass)? Note that no mention is made of the real effect of gutting Social Security. I don't see "truth" even being a consideration--another thing that really struck me about Bush apologists.

Maybe one of our psychologists can elaborate on the scammer's psyche as he or she rationalizes the truth of the fact that their victims are being defrauded? I recall standing in court hearing a very convincing plea from a particular scam artist, who was the purveyor of a large Ponzi scheme. He swore, as he was being dragged back to his cell in handcuffs, that he would repay every cent. I later read that he had somehow managed to by a few houses and a few cars from his jail cell.