EDITORIAL WHO'S IN CHARGE? WHEN DID U.S. LEADERS GET THE RIGHT TO IGNORANCE?THE arrest last week of real-estate developer and political fundraiser Mark Abrams elicited a common but sad response from the politicians whom he supported: ``Huh?'' The Beverly Hills businessman had been charged with conspiracy and money laundering The process of taking the proceeds of criminal activity and making them appear legal. Laundering allows criminals to transform illegally obtained gain into seemingly legitimate funds. by making thousands of dollars in prohibited contributions to the campaigns of Mayor James Hahn, former Councilman Nick Pacheco and current Councilman Tony Cardenas. His lawyer said he is contrite con·trite adj. 1. Feeling regret and sorrow for one's sins or offenses; penitent. 2. Arising from or expressing contrition: contrite words. and acknowledges what he did was wrong. That's more than the politicians have done. Hahn declared that he had no knowledge of the illegal contributions. Ditto for Pacheco and Cardenas. When did it become OK - de rigueur, even - for leaders in both private companies and government to escape responsibility by saying they just didn't know what the hay was going on in their organizations? Wasn't the justification for their lavish compensation packages their accepting considerable risk and responsibility? What's the point in having a CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. or mayor who doesn't know what's going on Verb 1. know what's going on - be well-informed be on the ball, be with it, know the score, know what's what know - know how to do or perform something; "She knows how to knit"; "Does your husband know how to cook?" ? A recent example is HealthSouth Corp. Chief Executive Richard Scrushy, who is on trial for conspiracy to defraud by directing his subordinates. Scrushy's defense, which is likely to earn him a mistrial A courtroom trial that has been terminated prior to its normal conclusion. A mistrial has no legal effect and is considered an invalid or nugatory trial. It differs from a "new trial," which recognizes that a trial was completed but was set aside so that the issues could be , is that he was clueless clue·less adj. Lacking understanding or knowledge. clueless Adjective Slang helpless or stupid Adj. 1. about what his executives were up to. He's either a liar or a poor excuse for a chief officer. And in both cases, it's a shame that he ever ascended to a leadership position. In almost everything Americans have done, we've conceded personal responsibility. Trip over a sidewalk, sue the city. Get lung cancer lung cancer, cancer that originates in the tissues of the lungs. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States in both men and women. Like other cancers, lung cancer occurs after repeated insults to the genetic material of the cell. , sue the cigarette makers. That example has not been lost on the nation's children, who have learned that only idiots take responsibility. It's no surprise that the nation's business and government leaders are shielding their behavior with this same excuse. And they will go on doing so until the public starts to demand accountability from their leaders, their peers and themselves. |
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