<p>I am the original poster. This was a news item and I posted to let the forum know in case they hadn’t heard. I didn’t intend for it to turn into the gleeful imposition of the death penalty for this man who headed an executive team which did a lot of harm to many people. I am not even going to waste my breath, but there was a good commentary in this morning’s Dallas Morning News by an expert witness who testified in the trial. He had a little different spin on the whole thing, if anyone wants to check it out.</p>
<p>Gee, gosh, wouldn’t it be great if we did have magic powers, that is what I meant you well know it</p>
<p>Go ahead, try and put me down, really don’t care</p>
<p>New lows? Let us see what I said</p>
<p>I said the man was a crook, so were his minions, I said he hurt many many many people, I said I never wished him dead, but think it is interesting that we that didn’t like him somehow have magical powers, and gosh, i said that would be cool</p>
<p>Yeah, so low</p>
<p>And Ken Lay was a beacon of constistancy, integrity, and class</p>
<p>But do what you feel you must, twist my words to suit your needs</p>
<p>Mr. Lay was more than a jerk, he was a selfish, cold hearted )%*(#)$@, who now seems to have attained a kind of martyr status</p>
<p>Now that is a neat magic trick</p>
<p>FS- please, please, please, your love of all I hate is kind of cute, in its little way</p>
<p>I never wished him dead, but ignore that fact…but i DID say I want magic mindpowers</p>
<p>Guess you think he was a swell guy who got the shaft, and the hundreds of thousands he hurt, well, gee, OPPS</p>
<p>Come on FS, it is so cute how you try and write so subtly and when others do, you twist and turn, but your antiquated, metephor ridden, heavy, and glossy words do not hide the fact you really have nothing relevant to say</p>
<p>CGM,
My bad…I didn’t realize that you wanted magic powers and mind waves in order to prevent the man’s heart from stopping, as you say. You, CGM, are truly a good person to rise above your righteous hate and anger to help this fallen (and now dead) man.</p>
<p>Now, for something completely different:</p>
<p>*Hey, hey
Love, love
Yeah, yeah
Ah, ha
Kennys dead
That’s what I said
Let the rap a plan
Said he’d see him home [dont really know what this line meansbut it grooves]
But his dream was a scheme
And he should’ve known
It’s hard to understand
That there’s love in this man
I’m sure all would agree
That his misery was his
Corporate greed
Now Kennys dead
That’s what I said</p>
<p>Everybody’s misused him
Ripped him up and abused him
Another power plan
Pushin’ 'lectricity for the man
A terrible blow
But that’s how it goes
A Kennys on the corner now
If you wanna drive a Hummer, wow
Remember Kennys dead</p>
<p>We’re all built up with progress
But sometimes I must confess
We can deal with do-gooders and suburban queens
But reality, what does it mean
Ain’t nothing said
'Cause Kennys dead</p>
<p>All I want is some peace of mind
With the cheep energy I’m trying to find
This could be such a beautiful place
Without outrageous tastes
Why I need electricity child
Don’t wanna be like Kenny now
'Cause Kennys dead
Hey, hey
Yeah, yeah
If you don’t try
You’re gonna die</p>
<p>Why can’t we brothers
Protect one another
No one’s serious
And it makes me furious
Don’t be one of the many
Just think of Kenny</p>
<p>Everybody’s misused him
Ripped him up and abused him
Another off-shore plan
Pushin’ 'lectro-dope for the man
A Kenny on the corner now
If you wanna drive an Escalade, wow
Remember Kennys dead
Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha
Kennys dead
Hey, hey
Ha, ha
Love, love
Ha, ha…*</p>
<p>I just want magic powers…seems you think some people have them because you claimed it was revenge, but hey, whatever</p>
<p>KennyBoy, wasn’t he Bush’s good friend? Oh yeah, Bush W has denied they were friends…yeah, now THAT is loyalty, your friend dies, and you pretend you didn’t even know him</p>
<p>I am not laughing he is dead, but you seem to be, wow talk about consistency, good to see such tried and true loyalty to the dead yourself</p>
<p>I’m using “greed” as shorthand for “profit-maximizing”. Companies have a fiduciary duty to maximize profits for their shareholders, within the context of the law. </p>
<p>I won’t argue against calling that “greedy”, but I will argue that it’s necessary. So “corporate greed” is not a loaded term for me, it’s a fact of life.</p>
<p>Not sure if this is the Dallas Morning News article MoWC was referring to in #41, but it works.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/columnists/all/stories/070606dnbushall.17a5a75.html[/url]”>http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/columnists/all/stories/070606dnbushall.17a5a75.html</a></p>
<p>FS: Curtis Mayfield, Theme from “Superfly”…your reservoir of knowledge continues to amaze. Back in the day, some called those “blaxploitation” films. Laysploitation is no different, although cursed with a less catchy soundtrack.</p>
<p>“…within the context of the law”.</p>
<p>What law?! I thought everything having to do with business has been deregulated. Do you mean to say there may be LAWS limiting corporate greed, er, I mean excessive profit?</p>
<p>I know we had a thread about profit margins a while ago, but there seems to be little interest on this forum in enforcing fair margins on businesses, as a whole.</p>
<p>Dadguy, “greed” is to “profit-maximizing” as “gluttony” is to “hunger.” There’s a reason that “greed” is a sin. And I have a problem with the casual assumption that “the law” should be the only limit on seeking profit. Particularly when you can buy “law” if you have enough money. It is the very amorality of the “facts of [corporate] life” which is the problem.</p>
<p>Well put!!</p>
<p>
OK, wait. Are we getting back into Intelligent Design here? I object to having your personal morality forced on me.
Should the law have any role in limiting profit? Under which part of our Constitution?</p>
<p>Not everything having to do with business was deregulated. Having the government set rates for things like plane fares has gone away and allowed competition to keep most fares very low. Regulations governing corporate reporting and honesty in that has gotten much tighter.
Also where there is no real competition, the government has the right to control prices to an extent. Thus some states regulate insurance, utilities and other goods pricing.</p>
<p>driver - I feel sorry for you. There, now you won’t have to.</p>
<p>Thanks for providing the link, driver. I looked before but wasn’t able to find the column. I did find this one:</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/editorials/stories/DN-kenlay_06edi.ART.State.Edition1.247aab4.html[/url]”>http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/editorials/stories/DN-kenlay_06edi.ART.State.Edition1.247aab4.html</a></p>
<p>but felt sure it wasn’t the one that was meant. </p>
<p>I don’t believe that greed is good, but I do believe that capitalism is the best possible system, given human nature. Being a progressive academic/political junkie, I’d prefer socialism in theory, but don’t believe it works well in practice. Unchecked capitalism is not good; we certainly can’t rely on corporations to behave ethically in the absence of government regulation. This brings us to a major villiain not yet mentioned in this thread: Arthur Anderson, which was given the corporate equivalent of the death penalty. I didn’t follow the case closely, but I did read that Ken Lay ordered an investigation by an outside law firm after a whistleblower told him what was going on. Was there any evidence that he knew that both Arthur Andersen’s clean audits and the reports of the law firm were fraudulent?</p>
<p>Thank you, barrons, my remark was tongue in cheek.</p>
<p>But are you saying airlines tickets are low?! You must be in an entirely different bracket, my friend.</p>
<p>I know that 30 -35 years ago is ancient history, but I recall flying to Europe round trip on a major airline with all the amenities for $199.00! Now, that was low. What would you say is comparable today, adjusted for inflation?</p>
<p>
Apparently, it is not only our Texas energy companies that have fallen on hard times, so has, it seems, the left-liberal wits and raconteurs amongst us; no wannabe G.B. Shaws or Orwells, barely even a broke Al Franken. Still, I suppose it’s the thought that counts:) and it does kinda have the feel of “same to you but more of it”…but seriously, even that comic upgrade seems all played out.</p>
<p>Profit at the expense of society</p>
<p>Profit made by cheating</p>
<p>Profit made by breaking the law</p>
<p>And there is no real competition…its pretend competition</p>
<p>Ken Lay was covering his behind</p>
<p>Just wish everyone was put on trial</p>
<p>We have people who bought champagne after Katrina arrested, but these guys</p>
<p>What a farce</p>
<p>Driver- That was the article I meant. Thanks.</p>
<p>city aerosol, so petty,
rains down sprayed grafitti
on poor lay,… no spot of pity,
parading sour confetti</p>