There is a lesson in everything. If you can pull away all the layers of stories and rumors that cloud the truth, you can draw a lesson from it. Even with something as dramatic as Enron and its collapse, there is still a lesson to be learned. The lesson is that if we needed more proof of who controlled this country, we have it here. The rich rule, the rich have influence, and many believe that they are above the law. And they control our country.When it was made public that top officers in Enron made out like bandits by selling their stock before Enron filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, it automatically drew suspicion. More eyebrows were raised when it came out that so many Enron employees lost all their money and were not as “fortunate” as the higher-ups in the company. Does something seem wrong here? How could so few walk away with so much and so many lose all that they had worked for?

Arrogance was the downfall of these criminals. Enron executives believed that they had so much money invested not only around the world, but also in our president and vice-president, that no one would pursue the matter past a good, stern talking to.

Besides, how could they be criminals? They wear suits and ties and they did not hold a gun to anybody. But they did something worse. They pissed all over Enron employees and told them it was raining.

It is events like this that have caused the American people to have less and less sym- pathy for the people in the upper 5% of our nation. The reason for this is that no matter how people try to spin it, it is always that percentage of the population that screws over the people in lower income brackets.

For example: The upper 5% scream when they are asked to pay more in taxes, but why shouldn’t they? They make the most and can afford to pay. But no, they scream “unfair” and demand to be treated better. The sad part is that all of these Enron’s executives who made millions on the collapse are probably going to complain about how this boosted them into an even higher tax bracket.

What is unfair is that 95% of the money is controlled by only approximately 5% of its people. That is unfair.

What happens when workers try to take on big business? Maybe they form a union and strike? The company screams “unfair” and that the workers are gouging the company for money.

The government listens to big companies, because the sad truth has become that companies control our government. The government blocks a union’s right to strike, threatens to put people in jail, ignores the needs of the worker.

Public school teachers get put in jail for striking. But does anybody want to bet that not one of these Enron officers ever sees the inside of a jail cell? It would just be more confirmation of what we already know is true. The average American has lost his/her connection to the government.

The government has never before been so out of reach for the average American. With the Enron collapse, however, that could change, if only a little. The government cannot ignore the fact that these many people lost their life savings. For the time being, the government has stopped placating these rich executives and taken a hard-nosed stance against them.

You would think that after a huge collapse and so many people losing their jobs, change would be necessary. The sad part is that change is necessary, but it might not ever happen. Our government has gotten into bed with big business, leaving the average American to sleep on the floor.

In these times of resurgent patriotism, we take pride in ourselves because we are Americans. We can still do that as long as we keep reminding our government that all of us are Americans, not just those with big checkbooks.