Fleeced Again

I stopped by to see my doctor the other day. Actually, to meet my new doctor. To be quite accurate – to see new doctor # 2 as the previous one whom I had never met departed before I had time to register with him. This happens in Florida.

Anyway, the new man, Dr. Hu was asking about my fairly-well controlled high blood pressure. He reminded me of the causes of hypertension and cautioned me to lead a healthy life style.

I told him my blood pressure had spiked recently because of being fleeced. Perhaps he misunderstood me but he replied that it was impossible for fleece, wool or yarn to have any effect on hypertension.

I explained that I had just read another news story about the public being fleeced…. as in money stolen from them. In December, the financier Bernie Madoff had bilked investors of $50 billion [as in BILLIONS]. Now according to Friday’s newspaper, one John Thain, formerly of Merrill Lynch – and just sacked from Bank of America – has done another number on the public purse.

Doc – my blood pressure boils when I hear these stories. Oh impossible, he replies. No one can be fleeced for that amount of money. It is unimaginable. But listen to this, Doc, I say.

This John Thain secretly approved in December an accelerated bonus payout of $4 billion for top Merrill-Lynch employees just as it was going belly up. Further, he spent a cool $1.2 million of Merrill shareholder's money to redecorate his office, including $87,000 for an area rug, $28,000 on curtains and $15,000 for a sofa. An interior designer (for an office?) received a $100,000 fee.

Dr. Hu looked a little pale. Those numbers make me ill, he sighed.