Steve Israel: “I represent a middle-class, middle-income district on Long Island, New York. The people I represent play by the rules.…”

“I represent a middle-class, middle-income district on Long Island, New York. The people I represent play by the rules. They pay their taxes. They pay their dues. They raise their kids with the values of hard work and fairness. They know the value of real punishment for real crimes. And they know there is no difference between stealing with a gun and stealing with an accountant's pencil. The worst crime that was committed in this crisis was the theft of time. The worst crime is that people's retirements were stolen away from them because the value of their 401(k)s, their pensions, their retirements will plummet as a result of this scandal, adding more time of hard work and paying taxes. This was the theft of time and that cannot be forgiven. People's retirements have been stolen. And where is the punishment? Ken Lay and his cronies continue to walk freely. There have been no personal bankruptcies for senior management. There have been no jail sentences, no disgourgements. There has been no accountability, but plenty of American corporations even today will continue to register themselves in Bermuda to escape paying their fair share of American taxes to support our troops in Afghanistan.”