Warning requires effort

"We used to make shit in this country, build shit. Now we just put our hand in the next guy's pocket."
-Frank Sobotka

This makes sense in an everybody getting theirs kind of way. Noted war-profiteers Halliburton were caught bribing some Nigerian officials for access to their precious sweet crude fields, and the punishment is to pay the government some half-billion dollars. The penalty for U.S. companies bribing foreign nations is massive payouts to American regulatory agencies. Let's see here, something seems amiss. Let's consult an online dictionary.

Bribery (n) the practice of offering something (usually money) in order to gain an illicit advantage

So the punishment technically isn't a bribe, it's more like government-sanctioned extortion or "disgorgement" whatever that means. Still, good idea? The Department of Justice could use the money to fight assorted civil court cases brought by newly-released foreigners unlawfully imprisoned and probably driven insane. Could be expensive due to the lack of casework, because of the previous administrations apparent policy to "torture it out of them."

Hmm. Making sweeping generalizations off the cuff. Let's see if we can gnaw it down to the bone. The point is that this country runs as it does because everyone looks out for number one. The economy, among others things, is based on the idea that anyone can get rich, realize their dreams and read to achieve. Unfortunately most still feel queasiness over the disgusting things that run off an individualistic society when it ignores the good of many for the luxury of few. Call it liberal if you want, but Jesus.

After reading the narcissistic whining of New York banking whores, I can't really blame Uncle Sam for trying to get a little back for himself, when things look terrible. Suppose it is better that some of those slightly less massive profits goes to some faceless government agency than Dick Cheney's kin, even if it is small potatoes in the age of Obama money.