Put Maddoff and Blagojevich on work detail

When you hear about the outrageous accusations against Wall Street icon, now shamed, Bernard Maddoff, regarding his $50 billion Ponzi scheme and the corrupt thinking Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich and his peddling of Obama's Senate seat, it almost makes you want to bring back the firing squad because their offenses are almost treasonous.

Are we not in the midst of a financial battle of historic proportion? If the charges against them hold true, have they not destroyed the lives of thousands of people, not to mention the integrity of both the political and financial systems at a time when our nation is in crises?

Unfortunately, as they used to quip in another time; "hanging is too good for them!"

I have another solution for them and all white collar criminals doing soft time, even if it is a long time, PUT THEM TO WORK!


There are many manufacturing jobs we have exported to foreign countries because we have priced ourselves out of so many markets and we would not be competing with American labor to do so. Putting these felons to work would accomplish many beneficial results.

First of all we would be able to bring jobs home and the criminals would be helping to support the cost of their incarceration. Second we would be helping to balance (note the scales of justice) the trade deficit, which is hurting all of us more each year. Third, these guys need to do work that will help them better understand what it means to actually do an honest day's work. And lastly they could also make some restitution to those they have harmed.

Not to make light of President Bush's recent shoe incident in Iraq but I think the ideal job is to make shoes. I think it would be great if our "resort" jails had contracts with Skechers or Nike Inc. (NYSE: NKE) to bring their manufacturing home. While Bush showed his agility in avoiding getting hit by the flying shoes, white collar criminals should not be allowed to avoid being hit with a more severe and just penalty.