On Tue, 9 Dec 2008 09:26:37 -0800, "John R. Carroll"
wrote:

Re exchange with jcarroll on this point:

While stupidity and incompetence in corporate governance may not
[yet] be criminal offences, conspiracy/bribery to evade/avoid
regulations and subvert/obstruct law enforcement most definitely
are.

Sure.
Seen any of that?
GM is good at exactly two things. The first is advertising.
The second is the legal version of what you seek to punish - lobbying.
-----------
Key word is "legal."

Everyone has a right to contact their Senators and
Representatives, and to present the most compelling case they can
about (existing & proposed) legislation/regulation.

At the other extreme, no one has the right to show up with an
actual or figurative attache case full of 100$ bills, nor does
the congressman have the right to accept.

The dividing line is very dim and blurred. For example, is a
standing weekly appointment to discuss current events of mutual
interest over a meal at a very expensive restaurant, paid for by
the contactor, acceptable?

In the case of GM, it can be plausibly argued that the
constituents' interests are indeed served by such meetings,
particularly where GM has a significant presence in the
district/state. SecDef "Engine Charlie" Wilson [under Eisenhower
when GM had 55% market share] was correct when he observed
"What's good for General Motors is good for the country, and
what's good for the country is good for General Motors," even
though this cost him his job. Even with "only" 20% of the
domestic US automotive market, GM remains a major factor/player.
Even the expensive restaurant can be "justified" as providing
"privacy," as compared to the House or Senate dining rooms.

Problems arise when contentious issues with broad societal
impact, for example emissions regulations, fuel economy,
crash-worthyness standards, work place safety, fiscal/financial
controls, etc. are discussed (and effectively decided) without
the opportunity for comparable input from the other
interested/affected/impacted groups.

It is becoming increasingly evident that far too much "lobbying"
is now on the wrong side of an admittedly dim and blurred line.
More than likely this was not an abrupt change, but a gradual
shift over the last 20 or so years.

FWIW -- it does not appear that GM was an especially egregious,
albeit highly effective, lobbying practitioner nor did they "push
the envelope," but the financial services and energy/mining
industries "let 'er rip."


Unka' George [George McDuffee]
-------------------------------------------
He that will not apply new remedies,
must expect new evils:
for Time is the greatest innovator: and
if Time, of course, alter things to the worse,
and wisdom and counsel shall not alter them to the better,
what shall be the end?

Francis Bacon (1561-1626), English philosopher, essayist, statesman.
Essays, "Of Innovations" (1597-1625).