Elijah Lewis: “I come to the floor tonight dismayed, disillusioned and disappointed. What is happening in corporate America? What has…”

“I come to the floor tonight dismayed, disillusioned and disappointed. What is happening in corporate America? What has become of our corporate leaders? This is a simple issue of right and wrong, good and evil, how fraud, lying and cheating have become part of our corporate culture. We must ask ourselves, How did this happen? What gave birth to this period of corporate greed and scandal? It all started with the corporate crusade against big government. Big government was making big business file too many reports. Big government was spending too much time making sure that big business was following the law, so big business asked their friends in Congress to do something about it. Thanks to Republican attacks against big government, these CEOs and board of directors are acting with little, if any, government regulation. They have been lying to investors, lying to workers, and lying to the Federal Government. And they have been getting away with it. While corporate America has been making out like bandits, hard-working men and women are losing their jobs, their retirement, and losing their children's college funds. The majority party in the White House has created a climate in which Enron, WorldCom, and Tyco could happen. Instead of having the SEC look over corporate books, Republicans have had the SEC look the other way. My colleagues, so shall thee sow, so shall thee reap.…”