When I mentioned Ken Lay in my last post, it would be the last time I wrote about him while he was alive.
There's somewhat of a custom in our culture not to say anything bad about anyone who has recently passed away. Well, I think that's not one of our best customs. Because it often forces people to be untruthful when evaluating character. For example, the BBC had a headline that read "Ken Lay Leaves a Mixed Legacy."
Mixed legacy? Maybe some view his legacy as mixed because he gave to charity, or because he had an affable personality. Yet Ken Lay was, in my opinion, a dispicable human being. There, I said it.
There are many levels of dispicable, of course. He's not up there with bin Laden or Jeffrey Dahmer. But he ranks pretty high. He destroyed the lives of thousands of people he was responsible to, his employees and his stockholders.
His employees did not just lose their jobs when Enron went bust. They lost health insurance, 401 (k) accounts, and more. Imagine you're a 41-year old mother of two, and both you and your husband work for Enron. Nice home in the Houston suburbs. You have breast cancer, but because you and your doctor caught it early, you are being treated at a great facility and have a good chance of beating this demon.
Enron goes bust. You now have no health insurance. Bye bye chemo. (Not having health insurance when you are unemployed in America is a whole separate topic, for another time). No income. Bye bye house. No 401 (k) because the stock is worthless and you were not allowed to diversify your portfolio. Bye bye retirement at 65. Bye bye retirement at 75, for that matter. College for the kids? A difficult proposition at best.
True story. Gee, thanks Ken! (You too, Jeff!)
Lay plead ignorance, saying he played no role in the collapse. He didn't know the grifting was so rampant, he claims. Well, he's either a) lying, or b) a piss-poor CEO, because the buck stops with him. The CEO doesn't need to know the name of every stock boy or the details of every trade, but when billions of dollars are disapearing, the CEO should be up to speed. Because he has a responsibility, legal and fiduciary. Lay shirked it.
I have a friend who was in the Navy. One day on his ship, he had the conn. There was a bad accident on the deck. He claimed it wasn't his fault. Well, the Navy didn't see it that way. You have the conn, it's your ship. Something goes wrong, it's your fault. Others may be to blame as well, but you will pay the piper if it happened on your watch.
Ken, you had the conn. You blew it. You escaped paying the piper here on earth. There may be another one to pay real soon.
Proverbs 13:22- A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children's children: and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just.
Psalm 49- "6": They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches;
"7": None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him:
"8": (For the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever:)
"9": That he should still live for ever, and not see corruption.
"10": For he seeth that wise men die, likewise the fool and the brutish person perish, and leave their wealth to others.
"11": Their inward thought is, that their houses shall continue for ever, and their dwelling places to all generations; they call their lands after their own names.
"12": Nevertheless man being in honour abideth not: he is like the beasts that perish.
"13": This their way is their folly: yet their posterity approve their sayings. Selah.
"14": Like sheep they are laid in the grave; death shall feed on them; and the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning; and their beauty shall consume in the grave from their dwelling.
"15": But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for he shall receive me. Selah.
"16": Be not thou afraid when one is made rich, when the glory of his house is increased;
"17": For when he dieth he shall carry nothing away: his glory shall not descend after him.
posted by The leftist southpaw @ 3:06 PM
3 Comments:
Will someone please think of his children!
hey...I'm still waiting for your guest post on my blog. Thought it might be good timing to post today, being I'm leaving for the states and will have a few days of not being able to post anything while I'm traveling.
sorry CT, not ready yet. But I'm traveling this week too, so I hope to finish it when I get back.
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