. . . but you have a Special Victims Unit.

The New York Times has this article that is, astonishingly, not 'news'; at least to anybody who lives here.

“The industry’s not legitimate,” said Norman Googel, assistant attorney general in West Virginia, which has prosecuted debt settlement companies. “They’re targeting a group of people who are already drowning in debt. We’re talking about middle-class and lower middle-class people who had incomes, but they were using credit cards to survive.”

(update 201019JUN:  I just read this article claiming that Utahns have been scammed out of $1.4 BILLION.  Good thing there is somebody protecting us. . .)

When I was growing up, my grandparents lived in Provo.  (In fact, my father grew up where the chapel on the east side of the new stadium is located.)  I remember all of Utah County as populated by good, hard-working people; home to a major, respected University; and a particularly well-educated and honest place.  I don't see that any more.

In my past career, I used to brief senior government officials about the CIA, and gave some comparisons of its size, using the FBI as a comparison.  While I was researching those facts, I found out that Utah had the largest fraud squad in the entire Bureau, and much of its operations were centered in Utah County.  This breaks my heart; but I think I understand why that is.

I've said before that when law enforcement is in the hands of people who did not have to run for the office, or who depend on the Republican or Democratic parties for their continued political survival rather than on the strength of their leadership and virtue of their ideas -- at that point, the Law becomes unimportant.  Political expediency is the only Important Thing.  Justice, judgment, wisdom, and fairness just don't matter.

What ends up mattering, instead, is the embrace and accommodation of of so-called entrepreneurs like the ones in the article, and the ones promising un-limited wealth creation through real-estate 'investment' or an 'amazing marketing opportunity', or the ones selling you 'preparedness' at a 350% markup.  What ends up mattering is the building of a new conference center to benefit a couple of well-connected contractors, rather than reducing taxes for everyone.

Stand up for yourself.  Stand up for your neighbors.  Don't give your votes to parties run by cliques of insiders who have no reason to care about you.  Don't waste your vote: Vote!  Vote Libertarian!