From an opinion piece on the NPR website today, talking about the financial crisis:
“How worried should we be that there is, right now, similar corruption, ruthless selfishness and incompetence percolating unseen in medical care, the pharmaceutical industry, Pentagon planning, government management of Social Security, environmental regulation and planning, or air safety? How likely is it that politics and journalism are less susceptible to greed and shortsightedness than finance? Is Wall Street an aberration or a mirror? Are people only so cavalier when their salaries have six or seven zeroes instead of two or maybe three?”
Assuming for the sake of argument that what he says about Wall Street is true, do you think this is something new? Corruption and shenanigans have always been with us, but how about the scope of it? Is it widening? Is there less honor among your friends, classmates, bosses, co-workers than 10 or 20 years ago? Do you assume that when the school board awards a contract, it was done on the up and up? Do you think your doctor prescribes based on deals with pharmaceutical companies rather than what’s best for you? Is everyone in your city’s administration related to each other?