“You may have the company of perhaps at least one of your children. To be the author of that is an unspeakable crime.”
That from U.S. District Judge James Rosenbaum at the sentencing of investor George Kline. The judge gave Kline 6 1/2 years in prison for insider trading. His two sons also were sentenced, the oldest to two years in prison, as he had involved them in the scheme for over 15 years. And when Kline’s attorney called it a tragedy, the judge objected, “This is not a tragedy. This is tawdry. This is base. This is mean. This is low. This does not rise to tragedy. This is a pickpocket who got caught.”
Like most, I generally get a bit of thrill when rich, white-collar crooks get caught and sent to the stir. This case is no different. But the question is: is it possible to feel compassion for a guy like this? “It is natural to wish for wealth and to try to get it any way you can. This man’s wish for wealth is so strong that it overwhelms his good judgment.” That’s from Timothy Miller’s book How to Want What you Have in a section where he matches possible compassionate thoughts to annoying or frustrating situations.
I don’t know that I can feel compassion towards Kline, but I do know the wish for wealth, especially during this tax time of year. And it’s strangely painful to see someone with so much influence and skill and knowledge get so taken with greed that he screws a ton of people and takes down his sons with him. Is that compassion? I don’t know. But I do hope the guy figures out how to make a contribution to the world after he gets out of prison. He’s got a helluva legacy to overcome.