The good news from NPR: Burglaries are down (a 30-year downward trend) because a) everyone already has everything (TVs, video games, etc) and you can't get rid of them unless they are new in a box; and b) people don't have cash in the house anymore with debit cards and credit cards (you can fence diamonds, but they take too long to look for.)
The scary news: Eliot Spitzer wasn't caught because they were investigating a prostitution ring and found him-they were investigating him and found the prostitution ring. So what?, you say.
Here's the deal: Before 9/11, financial transactions over $10K raised a flag and were looked at, if not investigated. Since 9/11 software has been developed (ironically implemented at the behest of Mr. Spitzer as AG) that looks at the details of every financial transaction. Transactions between certain people (in this case, people of power) or in patterns, or in targeted amounts or targeted recipients, get flagged.
This is fine I guess when the "right" people are running the software. But what happens when the "wrong" people are?
Oremus pro invicem!
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