Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource "Voices That Must Be Heard" Articles Description An account of the resource The Independent Press Association (IPA) translates articles from the ethnic press (when necessary) and distributes them via web and fax newsletter to mainstream and ethnic press, government offices, nonprofits, and interested individuals. Voices That Must be Heard was designed by the Independent Press Association staff in New York City in response to the horrifying events of September 11. After Sept. 11th, Voices focused on the South Asian, Arab and Middle Eastern communities in New York. Since February 2002, the project has expanded, selecting articles from the broad range of ethnic and community newspapers throughout the city. Here, the Archive has preserved the Voices collection from its inception until November 2002. VTMBH Article VTMBH Article: Edition 27 VTMBH Article: Article Order 2 VTMBH Article: Title Corporate scandals rock Ireland, United States VTMBH Article: Author VTMBH Article: Publication Irish Voice VTMBH Article: Original Language English VTMBH Article: Translator VTMBH Article: Section edits VTMBH Article: Blurb There are striking similarities between the recent financial scandals in Ireland and the United States which have made such a deep impact on both sides of the Atlantic. VTMBH Article: Keywords VTMBH Article: Body There are striking similarities between the recent financial scandals in Ireland and the United States which have made such a deep impact on both sides of the Atlantic. In Ireland, a group close to former Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Charles Haughey that came to be known as the golden circle helped themselves to tax-free offshore accounts in the Cayman Islands looked after by a bagman of Haugheys, Des Traynor. Traynor himself moved far beyond the Haughey circle, and obtained funds from leading business and society figures for illegally stashing money in the offshore accounts. The Ansbacher affair, as it has come to be known in Ireland, has severely dented consumer confidence there, and may indeed be only the tip of the iceberg. In the last year alone, we have seen huge financial scandals engulf such major Irish companies as Allied Irish Bank and the drug maker Elan. There may well be more shoes to drop in the future. At a time when average Irish taxpayers were burdened by the highest income taxes in Europe, the elite were finding a way to satisfy their greed and desire to beat the system. Something similar has happened in the United States, where once again ordinary individuals have been shortchanged by the greed and power lust of many in corporate America. When one reads that the Oracle CEO made $780 million in 2001 alone, it becomes evident that the system is out of control and badly needs fixing. It is safe to say that on both sides of the Atlantic, far stricter rules are needed to restore the confidence of average investors and, indeed, the ordinary taxpaying public. The Ansbacher affair is just the latest in a series of financial scandals which have clearly proved that there is one law for the rich and another for ordinary Irish citizens. What would clearly work in both Ireland and the United States would be the sternest possible jail sentences for many of those caught up in these Ponzi pyramid schemes. It is only when such sentences are meted out that these high-flyers will finally stand up and pay attention. While no one doubts that the vast majority of businessmen and women in Ireland and the United States are honest and hard-working, there is little doubt that the explosion in the stock market over the last decades had allowed a highly unscrupulous group of operators to function almost without detection. The end result has been a major falling off in confidence in both countries, and harm to the business climate which, if it continues, will have dire consequences. Both Irish Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and U.S. President George W. Bush have now made it clear that they believe those caught up in these scams should go to jail. For too long in both countries, white collar crime has somehow seen viewed as lesser than other types of criminal activity and jail sentences have been very rare. That must now change if confidence is to return to the system. This week, the two top officers of Irish drug company Elan, which has been caught up in the accounting scandals, resigned their positions. It is perhaps the first sign that these issues are finally being taken seriously by those in power. With the stock market in Ireland and the United States reeling from the weekly scandals, it can only be hoped that they will not be the last to lose their jobs. VTMBH Article: Line Breaks 1 VTMBH Article: Date 2002-07-16 VTMBH Article: Thumb VTMBH Article: Article File VTMBH Article: Hit Count 86 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Corporate scandals rock Ireland, United States 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. unknown Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. article Original Name The original name of this item. There are striking similarities between the recent financial scandals in Ireland and the United Stat Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-07-16