According to a Rasmussen poll out today, when asked whether or not Bernie Madoff or his wife should be allowed to keep any of their money stolen in the $64.8 billion Ponzi scheme, 81% of respondents answered no.
81%. Definitely a majority.
But what about the other 19% of schmucks who either responded yes, the Madoffs should be able to keep some of their money, or that they aren’t really sure? Who are these people? Are they also running Ponzi schemes? Who looks at what Madoff did and says “eh, could have been worse. Let him keep some for his effort?”
Let’s pretend that Bernie Madoff’s crime wasn’t stealing enormous amounts of money from trusting investors, but rather staffing his household with illegal “indentured servants” from somewhere in Southeast Asia (I’m keeping this high-class). Asking whether or not he can keep some of the money he stole is sort of like asking the INS to let him keep a couple of his, let’s be honest, slaves because they do a particularly good job on the floors and it’s just so hard to find adequate help these days. Would anybody be running polls on this, let alone considering the request with even the remotest amount of seriousness? Of course not!
Bernie Madoff cheated a huge number of people out of an exorbitant amount of money. Simply because his crimes allow him to dress and live well, doesn’t make him a VIP member of society. So no, Bernie Madoff should keep absolutely nothing. And as for his wife being allowed to hold on to $70 million to live on while Bernie is in prison? ARE THEY NUTS? This woman needs $70 million dollars to survive on? Does she eat diamonds?
The Modern Major General 