One thing that has dominated the airwaves of late and has been fodder for water cooler conversations from Coast to Coast has been the Madoff scandal. There is no need to rehash the specifics since it has been done ad nauseam over the last several weeks. We all agree that Madoff is pond scum and should rot in jail for what he did but I want to address a different take on this as well as a broader examination on something that is far too common these days – lack of personal responsibility.
When did America become the “it wasn’t me” or “it’s not my fault” nation? Regardless of the topic whether it is finances, education, job status etc, people are always quick to point the finger at others. This point has never been more prevalent then in the instances surrounding the Madoff scam.
First, what Madoff did was wrong. His Ponzi scam was illegal and he used deception to fraudulently “invest” money for the rich and famous. People involved in the scheme have lost millions of dollars. Many have lost “everything” and are left wondering how they will survive. Every television station has reported on these poor individuals and their plight often times fighting for ways for them to recoup their losses in some way. Madoff should pay or The government should bail them out etc.
Really? Let me offer a dissenting opinion. How about each one of these people recognize that they ALL made a bad financial decision. They ALL invested their money on their own free will and that investment went to Zero. To those that say that it wasn’t their fault as an advisor made the decision to invest with Madoff…those individuals still made the choice to invest with that advisor. Any way you try to deflect it, it still comes down to the decision that the individual made on what to do with their money. Trust me, when these people were making millions on other investments over the years, I will assure you they were bragging at cocktail parties as to how smart they were or how great their investment “team” was. It is typical how when things go bad, everyone else is to blame.
I would love to see the ONE individual step forward and say “you know what, I made a bad decision and now I have to live with it and move forward”. Taking responsibility for ones actions either good or bad WAS a cornerstone of this great country. Somehow, greed, apathy and irresponsibility have become the NEW way of life. It’s alright, corporate America has been getting away with this for quite some time…can you say Bailout. Wake up people! The only bailout that is on the horizon will occur when you stand up and recognize that YOU must take care of YOU. You are responsible to you, your family and most importantly your actions and decision made on their behalf.
When did America become the “it wasn’t me” or “it’s not my fault” nation? Regardless of the topic whether it is finances, education, job status etc, people are always quick to point the finger at others. This point has never been more prevalent then in the instances surrounding the Madoff scam.
First, what Madoff did was wrong. His Ponzi scam was illegal and he used deception to fraudulently “invest” money for the rich and famous. People involved in the scheme have lost millions of dollars. Many have lost “everything” and are left wondering how they will survive. Every television station has reported on these poor individuals and their plight often times fighting for ways for them to recoup their losses in some way. Madoff should pay or The government should bail them out etc.
Really? Let me offer a dissenting opinion. How about each one of these people recognize that they ALL made a bad financial decision. They ALL invested their money on their own free will and that investment went to Zero. To those that say that it wasn’t their fault as an advisor made the decision to invest with Madoff…those individuals still made the choice to invest with that advisor. Any way you try to deflect it, it still comes down to the decision that the individual made on what to do with their money. Trust me, when these people were making millions on other investments over the years, I will assure you they were bragging at cocktail parties as to how smart they were or how great their investment “team” was. It is typical how when things go bad, everyone else is to blame.
I would love to see the ONE individual step forward and say “you know what, I made a bad decision and now I have to live with it and move forward”. Taking responsibility for ones actions either good or bad WAS a cornerstone of this great country. Somehow, greed, apathy and irresponsibility have become the NEW way of life. It’s alright, corporate America has been getting away with this for quite some time…can you say Bailout. Wake up people! The only bailout that is on the horizon will occur when you stand up and recognize that YOU must take care of YOU. You are responsible to you, your family and most importantly your actions and decision made on their behalf.
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