Society, in general, doesn't "get" that white-collar crime like the mortgage securities fraud is the engine that powers blue collar crime. The problem is that

Society, in general, doesn't "get" that white-collar crime like the mortgage securities fraud is the engine that powers blue collar crime. The problem is that society in general spends far too much time and effort and money harassing blue collar criminals and keeping them locked up in a system that will never "fix" them. Society needs to make a conscious and concerted effort to prosecute white collar criminals -- to give them punishments severe enough to prevent the abuse and fraud from the top down, the abuse and fraud that leeches from the poorest "blue collars". Raj Rajaratnam, the billionaire hedge fund manager and co-founder of Galleon Group who was convicted today "acted like the rules didn't apply to him". Probably because at this point in our history, society is starting to believe that the rules don't apply to the power suits. This is why none of these brokers have served jail / prison time. Steal an automobile: go to jail; do not pass go. Steal somebody's house and life savings: go to swanky federal prison, stop and take a vacation in the Bahamas (where your tax shelter is) on the way.