The best kind of deterrent?
This morning as I was getting my first dose of the day’s news, I was struck by the conversation between the BBC World host Dan Damon and an on-air correspondent/expert who were discussing today’s report of the execution by the Chinese of former government official Zheng Xiaoyu. Xiaoyu was executed after being
Beyond the problems associated with drug safety in China, there have been numerous cases in the United States involving tainted fish, pet food and toothpaste coming from China and the guilty verdict as well as the swift dispensation of justice are being seen as Beijing’s attempt to establish a ‘no tolerance’ approach to tainted consumables.
What struck me as odd about the aforementioned conversation though was how quick those on the radio were to make light of the value of the execution. In a self-editorializing comment, Damon said that even though the execution was an incredibly severe punishment for the acceptance of what amounted to $850,000 USD until true government reforms take place in China, such behavior on the part of government officials is not likely to be impacted.
Even in a banana republic where governmental graft is a way of life, losing one’s life over a trivial amount (I’m speaking figuratively here… especially since the offender was willing to pay it back) of money seems like an effective deterrent - regardless of who’s in charge.
Just think what would happen in this country if execution was the sentence handed down to those who were willingly derelict in their duties. Ol’ ‘Brownie’ may have been a little bit more on the ball down in New Orleans, and don’t even get me started on the issue of intelligence and the build up to the Iraq War.
I’m not advocating that political incompetence should be rewarded with death, but I do believe that it might cause some folks to think twice before they accept cash and hide it in their freezer.
