Bernie Madoff

I have been following in the news about the ponzi scheme of Bernie Madoff that amounted to $50 billion dollars. Today in the Corvallis Gazette Times is an AP article with the headline, "Some Jews fear Madoff case strokes anti-Semitism."

I watched a MSNBC special on the scandal of Bernard Madoff. It is my understanding that Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities has been in business for over 30 years with a good reputation and respect. It is only now that problems came to light at the time of the stock market crash, and bailouts for failed corporations.

I have a hard time coming to the popular conclusion that others in the news do. Putting everything in perspective, I do not see it in the same light. He isn't any different than any of the others in the news right now. I don't condone what he did because it is never okay to steal anything from family, friends or strangers. I don't like it that people are so ready to use a Jew as a scapegoat. It sounds like the actions were deliberate so it was inexcuseable but I see others in the news who have also escaped with wealth and no one is saying a word. All should be held accountable.

Does $50 billion compare to the $10 trillion dollar raid on the U.S. Treasury? None of the corporations or banks are being held accountable? They aren't even expected to pay it back? No one sees them as criminals. Why?

Does anyone point to President Bush's religion after he drove the U.S. economy into the ground? No one is seeing President Bush as a criminal after what he has done. He isn't saying he is sorry or accepting responsibility for what he has done.

Bernard Madoff admitted to his sons guilt of what happened or what was about to happen to the business. None of the heads of large corporations who have stolen money and take millions of dollars in bonus money have admitted any guilt after they have driven a business into the ground.

I remember hearing on one business network that the reason the first recent bailout was necessary was because the world economy is so delicately balanced that everything would collapse without the bailout. In other words, every financial institution in the world is dependent upon one another in order to stay afloat. One tanks and it has a dominoe effect. I think this is what happened to Bernard Madoff and others.

I wonder about Mutual Funds and if they are a ponzi scheme. The fund managers are the ones who benefit.

What about insurance companies who take your money and then don't want to pay out? What about banks who made loans to people who they knew couldn't pay them back?

Everyone should be treated the same. I watched one science show that said that the process of finding someone guilty is subjective. For every guilty person, there is an innocent person in jail. I was shocked at this. I guess if you want to see someone as guilty, they look much more guilty even if you have to distort the facts. This is unfortunate. I thought that facts were the facts.

Don't get me wrong....I am not condoning what Bernie Madoff did. He was wrong and he should be held accountable but so should others. Martha Stewart went to prison and yet the CEO of Enron wasn't held accountable. Why?

I guess what I want to say is that I see Jews as highly ethical human beings. I will always stand up for Judaism. If I were to choose one religion, I would have to say that I think that Judaism contains the basic truth.

At this point in my spiritual development, I am not sure of anything. I grew up in the Lutheran Church going to church every Sunday with my parents. At this time, the only thing that I can truly say with all honesty is that I believe in science.