The Spitzer story proves one thing: if you decide to antagonize the rich and powerful, you better watch out. They will try very hard to get back at you. Has it occurred to anyone that Spitzer, the man who prosecuted banks and investment houses, was nailed by his own bank transactions? And did it come as a surprise to you that relatively infrequent and small transactions aroused suspicion ? Has it bothered you that the origin of the whole case remains rather murky ? Are we to believe that this all happened by accident, or through the miracles of surveillance ? The latter is an especially nice touch you might argue.
Or were you swept away by all the emotion ? Or too eager to hear all the details of illicit sex and prostitution ? You have to admit it makes a good story. The press was all over it from the beginning. Interviews with former prostitutes, escorts, and madams. A Heidi Fleiss all over. It is good for the ratings and brings sex without FCC fines into everyone's living room.
It is one of those things both you and the press can indulge in without repercussions. But maybe you are not one of those. You are simply disgusted that the man who decided to prosecute others was not without flaws himself ? Then again, who really is without sin ? If we followed the biblical prescription, nobody would get punished. Clearly that is not the case here, as the US is the first world's number one incarcerator. We believe in crime AND punishment. Self-righteousness is a virtue in this country.
The very rich are not just greedy. They also like to wield their power. And they like to do whatever they please. Unfortunately, most owe their riches to an economy that runs on waste and overconsumption. Conservation and resource protection are not part of this dream. Overall, that would not be so bad if there weren't that many of us on the planet. Given where we are today, it looks like we are set for a perfect storm.
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