Inspired by the wealth confiscation policies of Roman Emperor Lucius Cornelius Sulla,
the
United States Congress today published a list of brokers, bankers and traders that
citizens
will henceforth be allowed to execute on sight. The Bonus Bounty Act calls for
summary
judgment against an initial list of 365 executives from well-known banks and
brokerage
houses; and, in a further nod to Sulla's Roman policies, offering aid or shelter
to
a financial executive who has received a bonus will likewise be punishable by death.
Republican
Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa had encouraged bankers to either resign or
kill
themselves on Wednesday, and the Bonus Bounty Act passed by a veto-proof
majority
by the end of the week. Asked if focusing the nation's fury on a few hundred
million
dollars worth of bonuses when the world is collapsing under the weight of untold
trillions
in debt, Arizona Senator Freitag Avalon brushed the question aside with a wave
of
his hand. "Take a look in the dictionary," he said brusquely. "Take a look a the word
'punish'.
To punish doesn't mean to make things right," he snarled. "It means to punish."
