The tragedy here is not that of a good man going to prison for an arguably “victimless” crime but that yet another individual fell victim to a criminal justice system which no longer requires an individual to have a reasonable expectation or knowledge that he is even committing a crime.  The number of possible Federal crimes is proliferating.  Combine this with politically motivated prosecutors and pandering politicians and you have a toxic brew where  the lives of unwitting individuals and the lives of their families are devastated to satisfy the political ambitions of a few.

Unlike Mr. Gupta, most people charged with a Federal offense do not have the resources to go to trial.  Faced with financial ruin and the threat of being charged with additional crimes and minimum sentences if they go to trial, is it any wonder that most Federal “crimes” ( more than 90%) are settled by the “criminals” pleading guilty without the benefit of a trial ? These people and their families are the true “victims” in many of these cases.  Shouldn’t the government be protecting these people rather than sacrificing them at the altar of political correctness?

Neel Kashkari, of PIMCO,  has written a thoughtful article, and I’ve included the link as follows 

Golden_Dollar_Sign (Photo credit: bsperan)

http://www.pimco.com/EN/Insights/Pages/The-Cure-for-Baldness.aspx

He makes the point that it is increasingly difficult to find balanced, moderate investment advice these days and writers often resort to outlandish headlines to draw attention.  ( Now who would do that?)

Perhaps more importantly, he provides a nice tutorial on what causes stock prices to rise over time.  A very useful primer for serious investors who might want to base their investment decisions on something other than headlines designed more to attract readers than to produce investment gains.

If the last five years have taught us anything, it is that the future is unpredictable.  A balanced, moderate investment strategy is probably the best approach to withstand the rigors of what the marketplace may throw at us.

People naturally consider their own self-interest when they go to the polls.  What could be more natural than to vote for the politician who promises you benefits when you know you won’t have to pay for those benefits.  It’s easy to see how you end up with a dangerous spiral where the government grows larger and larger and the tax burden falla increasingly on a smaller and smaller segment of the population until the system collapse( think Greece).

Arguably, the state of the U.S. Federal tax code has contributed to this country’s mounting debt crisis.  Is it because the government spends too much, the “rich” ( 53%) pay too little or the “dependent” (47%) pay too little ?  Like many things, the answer is probably all of the above.  I believe in a progressive tax system but common sense would say that everyone should pay some level of taxes so they can weigh the benefits AND cost of a politician’s promises when they go to the polls.