Weinberg Goes Wild over Malone
Inside Liberty Watch Today - Jul. 25, 2005

This week we will have a point-counter point discussion regarding former Clark County Commissioner Lance Malone. In today's installment Fred Weinberg goes overboard about the Lance Malone case stopping just short of public hanging. Tomorrow, Doug French will bring us back to reality; I think you will enjoy both points of view.

George Harris, Editor


It’s official.

Not only is disgraced former Clark County Commissioner Lance Malone and all around general sleaze bucket, he’s a crook as well.

Twelve citizens of the San Diego area said so and now Malone will most likely get to visit places which are less accommodating than, say, certain topless clubs were to him before the indictment.

A little while back, Bernie Ebbers, the former CEO of Worldcom was sentenced to 25 years for participating in what will go down-at least for now-as the largest fraud ever perpetrated on our nation’s investors. In all probability, that is a life sentence because Ebbers is in his 60s and suffers from heart problems.

It was an eminently fair sentence for the financial carnage Ebbers allowed to happen on his watch.

And before Ebbers reports to the Yazoo City, Mississippi slammer, he's basically giving everything he's got to the government to be distributed to the investors he screwed.

I would argue that Malone's transgressions are worse and deserve a sentence in the same range.

And I would further argue that Malone-and his family-should be stripped of everything, of any asset at all which can be sold and the money returned to the taxpayers he screwed.

I want to set a stern example. I don't care if Malone ever has another dime to his name-in fact I would prefer that his sentence be so onerous that he never will.

Why?

Simple.

While Bernie Ebbers did massive financial damage to America's investors and his former employees, I don't believe that it started that way. I believe-from the evidence presented at the trial-that Ebbers went bad because he got in so deep that bogus accounting was his only way to avoid the unpleasant truth that he was bankrupt.

Malone, on the other hand, was simply a low rent thief.

And elected (or former) officials who abuse the public's trust don't deserve our time of day.

Malone also doesn't deserve a white collar prison gig.

He ought to be sent to Atlanta with the Marial Boat Lift people. Or some place without tennis courts and law libraries.

Lance Malone is a cheap little thief who needs the full weight of the law thrown at him.

And taxpayers' can start by finding out how he paid for his defense. And if there was any ill gotten gains used, taxpayers' should get the money back from his attorney.

If I sound a little vindictive here, I am.

Because, among other reasons, I am sick and tired of being told that this is just how things work here in Vegas.

That might have been true in the 1970s.

Not any more.

Twelve good people in San Diego have told us so.

FRED WEINBERG, Publisher Las Vegas Penny Press