23 Mar Prosecution for the poor; free pass for Harold MacKay

In response to this, Contrarian reader Corey Clamp asks:

Another question, albeit more uncomfortable: Why does it seem acceptable to most that these funds have been lost?

We often hear people talking about abuses of our social assistance system: EI fraud, welfare mothers collecting our hard earned tax dollars for nothing, etc., etc. I work in community and have witnessed some of these ‘frauds’ that others complain of (food money being used for power? Oh my!), but I also witness every day the daunting bureaucracy these individuals must face in order to get their $514 to $850 dollars/month.

We seem to worry that those without are not equipped to deal with monies of any amount, and hence must be made to feel accountable. Unfortunately, as has been demonstrated time and again, this worry is misplaced. Those with means seem quick to play footloose and fancy free with our tax dollars, and can you blame them? What happens when they lose it all? Nothing.

Absolutely nothing.