3 ms·

To be fair, Theranos didn’t get slapped on the wrist. They’re going to prison for many years.

by borski 3y ago

hotsauceror 3y ago
Seems to me like 'defrauding some of the most powerful people in the world, misdiagnosing serious diseases, and harassing a whistleblower to the point where he killed himself' is an awfully high bar to clear in order for white-collar crime to be taken seriously. They fined Jammie Thomas, like, $800,000 dollars for downloading 30 songs off of napster or whatever. As far as I know, she didn't get to plead 'inability to pay'.
- borski 3y ago
  You moved the goalposts. The example was Theranos. I was responding about Theranos. That was the extent of my comment.
  - mcv 3y ago
    I think GP makes a totally valid point. Big companies only get punished hard when they defraud powerful people, normal people get punished hard for doing something a company doesn't like. It really does seem the harshest punishments are handed out for hurting people/companies more powerful than you. The rich and powerful, including corporations, should be held more accountable. Instead, the law seems to get used mostly to keep people in their place. I still remember how HSBC got fined millions for laundering billions for Mexican drug cartels. Normal people would be doing hard time if they did that. Banks get fined less than the size of the crime.
    - hotsauceror 3y ago
      Let's not forget things like the Sackler family's relentless marketing of addictive opiates. They and their expensive retainers get to have lofty discussions about this and that, whether a particular settlement number is _fair_ or in the 'best interests of the patients' or whatever, how the very idea of litigation is hurting their ability to help those who really need it. Contrast that with the tone taken by our most powerful, about the scourge of illegal immigrants bring the very same chemicals into the country by swimming the Rio Grande. I would not be surprised to hear support for summary executions of every third person in Laredo, TX.
  - hotsauceror 3y ago
    The first sentence was explicitly about Theranos. The whistleblower, defrauding former US Defense Secretaries, etc. That was all them.
jackmott42 3y ago
maybe? will they get out early? when will they go? its been years while she has been having sex living in mansions and drinking fine wine. a guy selling cigarettes on the streets of NYC without a permit would have been choked to death in seconds. (actual thing that happened) seems like this justice imbalance in the USA is something we can get bipartisan support for changing. lets do it yall.
- borski 3y ago
  > maybe? will they get out early? when will they go? I don’t know, but that is a question for behavior. I do believe in rehabilitation being the underlying goal of prison, so I’d be thrilled if they came out of it changed people. > a guy selling cigarettes on the streets of NYC without a permit would have been choked to death in seconds. (actual thing that happened) And that is awful. Never said I was defending that. > seems like this justice imbalance in the USA is something we can get bipartisan support for changing. lets do it yall. If only.
- lupire 3y ago
  Eric Garner wasn't choked to death for committing a crime. He was choked to death because a cop wanted to beat someone up.

To be fair, Theranos didn’t get slapped on the wrist. They’re going to prison for many years.

by borski 3y ago

To be fair, Theranos didn’t get slapped on the wrist. They’re going to prison for many years.

Seems to me like 'defrauding some of the most powerful people in the world, misdiagnosing serious diseases, and harassing a whistleblower to the point where he killed himself' is an awfully high bar to clear in order for white-collar crime to be taken seriously. They fined Jammie Thomas, like, $800,000 dollars for downloading 30 songs off of napster or whatever. As far as I know, she didn't get to plead 'inability to pay'.

borski 3y ago
You moved the goalposts. The example was Theranos. I was responding about Theranos. That was the extent of my comment.
- mcv 3y ago
  I think GP makes a totally valid point. Big companies only get punished hard when they defraud powerful people, normal people get punished hard for doing something a company doesn't like. It really does seem the harshest punishments are handed out for hurting people/companies more powerful than you. The rich and powerful, including corporations, should be held more accountable. Instead, the law seems to get used mostly to keep people in their place. I still remember how HSBC got fined millions for laundering billions for Mexican drug cartels. Normal people would be doing hard time if they did that. Banks get fined less than the size of the crime.
  - hotsauceror 3y ago
    Let's not forget things like the Sackler family's relentless marketing of addictive opiates. They and their expensive retainers get to have lofty discussions about this and that, whether a particular settlement number is _fair_ or in the 'best interests of the patients' or whatever, how the very idea of litigation is hurting their ability to help those who really need it. Contrast that with the tone taken by our most powerful, about the scourge of illegal immigrants bring the very same chemicals into the country by swimming the Rio Grande. I would not be surprised to hear support for summary executions of every third person in Laredo, TX.
- hotsauceror 3y ago
  The first sentence was explicitly about Theranos. The whistleblower, defrauding former US Defense Secretaries, etc. That was all them.

jackmott42 3y ago

maybe? will they get out early? when will they go? its been years while she has been having sex living in mansions and drinking fine wine. a guy selling cigarettes on the streets of NYC without a permit would have been choked to death in seconds. (actual thing that happened) seems like this justice imbalance in the USA is something we can get bipartisan support for changing. lets do it yall.

borski 3y ago
> maybe? will they get out early? when will they go? I don’t know, but that is a question for behavior. I do believe in rehabilitation being the underlying goal of prison, so I’d be thrilled if they came out of it changed people. > a guy selling cigarettes on the streets of NYC without a permit would have been choked to death in seconds. (actual thing that happened) And that is awful. Never said I was defending that. > seems like this justice imbalance in the USA is something we can get bipartisan support for changing. lets do it yall. If only.
lupire 3y ago
Eric Garner wasn't choked to death for committing a crime. He was choked to death because a cop wanted to beat someone up.