Easy question.

I have an easy quiz for you. Just one easy question, here goes.

You hire a contractor, he does the work, lets say he puts up 10 feet of fencing. He then bills you for 50 feet of fencing!

Now for that easy question, "Would you hire him again?"

I am going to assume that you answered correctly, and the same as I did - "No"

Well now, here is the interesting thing, a lot of large corporations that are hired by the Federal Government cheat them, or to put it another way, commit fraud! Now wouldn't you think that would make them ineligible to do work for the Federal Government again? Well you would be wrong. They might get a fine, but they can keep right on bidding and working for the Feds!

You probably read about a couple of the local cases recently. Maxim Health in Columbia Md. stole $60 MILLION from the Federal Government (Hey, that would be us wouldn't it?) They paid a fine, and they are back to work. I wonder what the Federal Government would do if I stole $60 million from them? Do you think I'd be welcome to keep on working for them, or would I be in jail? Then there was St. Joseph Medical Center in Towson, Md. they billed the Government and Insurance companies for 600 Stents that, "Were unnecessary", Peninsula Regional Medical Center in Salisbury Md. did the same for 200 stents - are they a smaller Medical Center or just not so bold as St. Joseph?

One of St. Josephs doctors gave lessons, paid for by the stent manufacturer, on how to sell stents to patients. Apparently he was highly sucessful, as I seem to remember that at least 90% of the stents he sold and installed were unnecessary!

I guess my question is, why is this allowed to happen? Wouldn't it stop if they were struck off, and not allowed to do any work for the Federal Government if they deliberately cheated them. (Us) Others see that you only get a slap on the wrist if you are caught, and then you can go right back to the same old, same old, not much of a deterrant.

By the way as`you heard Mitt Romney say, and the Supreme Court too, "Corporations are people." They are happy to be treated like people, because as "people" they can own property, seek redress in courts and in Congress (where all their friends are!), and, of course they can make huge political contributions. (See one line above - Congress, where all their friends are!) Now, when it comes to being "people" who cheat/steal from the Federal Government they are suddenly treated differently to real people, like you and me, all of a sudden Corporations can't go to prison. They can't even be banned from working for the very government that they stole from!! (Like you and me undoubtedly would.)

Does anyone know why Corporations are treated differently, as in much more leniently, than real people? They say they want to be treated like people, the courts say they are people, even Mitt Romney says they are people, but when it comes to punishment they are not so real after all!

Could it have anything to do with having friends in Congress? No, surely not! Just because as real people they are allowed to give HUGE contributions to politicians, that wouldn't make a difference would it?

No, I didn't think so.