>Michael Brown stole some cigars worth less than $50 and he's dead.
>
>
>http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/14/business/at-big-banks-a-lesson-not-learned.html?ref=business&_r=0
>These people knowingly fudged research reports that small investors count on and they're still walking and having lunch at Harry's on Wall Street.


I have mixed views on this.

On the one hand, even those who disagree with the grand jury decision acknowledge Brown made an incredibly bad (and sadly, fatal) mistake with his actions in the car.

On the other hand - (knock on wood) I've done some REALLY stupid things in my life - and while I had to do some serious "mea culpas" to pay for my mistakes, in retrospect I was always fortunate that I landed on my feet. I did two things in particular that were so stupid that I shouldn't have been forgiven - but I was.

I actually made that observation to a conservative friend of mine, who replied, "Yeah, but did you ever rob a store and shove around a clerk and then try to take a gun from a cop?" No. But I've done things that would surprise some people, and even though I was earnest to make amends when I came to my senses, I was still very fortunate

I think these are horribly tragic situations....Michael Brown and Trayvon Martin in particular. They made terrible mistakes and acted foolishly - and very sadly paid with their lives. It's too bad that circumstances hadn't been different - that both young men could still be alive, saying, "you know, it was stupid to start a fight or get physical with a cop....I could have been killed....that knocked some sense into me". That's been (in concept) a chapter of my life. I'm going to stop short of saying there are 2 Americas. But I'll say without hesitation that some situations (and some actions) have a much thinner margin for error than others.

I realize the bankers you're talking about are men who are actively deceiving. But remember - we've got elected people in Washington who are just as bad.