Andersen Draws Anger, Sympathy
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Re: “Andersen Workers Reeling,” March 19:
It really bothers me that the same people who took on a partnership structure so key employees could deduct personal expenses are now taking to the streets in protest when the criminal liability risk hits home.
As if high-paid business consultants can claim to be surprised by this. Partners at Andersen probably take deductions for everything from driving to and from the office, meals, clothing, and laundry to office furniture, cell phone bills and media subscriptions.
Shredding, stalling, protesting and the like will get you nowhere. Hundreds of thousands of other 401(k) participants, Justice and I are standing by to make sure of that!
Doug Morgan
Irvine
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Andersen officials complain that criminal proceedings will amount to a “death sentence” for the firm [“Andersen Balks at Guilty Plea in Enron Case,” March 14]. First, why didn’t they think about that before electing to engage in criminal behavior?
And so what if the firm dies? The world will better off without a firm that not only sees no conflict in soft-peddling its audits of a company so it can land lucrative consulting contracts with that company, but is willing to go to the extreme of destroying evidence in hopes of maintaining or expanding such contracts.
Chris Ford
Los Angeles
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I am not an accountant nor have I ever worked for Arthur Andersen, but I am appalled at the Justice Department’s indictment of an organization with the effect of putting 85,000 people on the unemployment rolls.
A CPA who has been indicted stands little chance of ever again practicing his or her profession of auditing a public company, or obtaining an officer-level position with a public company.
This may be appropriate punishment for some people in their Houston office, but the Justice Department’s action affects every employee in every office in the United States, and some foreign countries.
This is an outrageous game of chicken by a government agency that has a poor record of defining justice.
Michael Hoevel
Camarillo
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