But, I believe within the “full-service brokerage culture” the ideal is sometime perverted by the day-to-day objective of installing microwave ovens. . . moving those refrigerators and moving those color T.V.’s (to extend Ms. Blanco’s metaphor, just a bit).*

Within the full-service investment banking and brokerage “culture” it seems the worker receiving the accolades from his or her peers, receiving the positive “strokes”, the serious bonus money and other forms of recognition from his or her superiors are those workers that “go with the program”.

And it seems even when excesses become so blatant the excesses are discovered, punishment is only meted to the lowest and most expendable perpetrator in the cultural chain. Securities regulations talk about the responsibility to supervise – one must question, where were Charlie Grubman’s and Henry Blodgett’s supervisors during the last big set of investigations?

They were probably playing a pick-up basketball game at The 92nd Street Y.

You don’t kill a weed by pruning a leaf . . . you dig-out the roots.

* “Money For Nothing (Chicks For Free)” by Dire Straits as performed by Mark Knopfler, Eric Clapton, “Sting”, Phil Collins, etc.
See> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1lNMBsNEw8