WhatGoesAroundComesAround_DavisRob

and the way it actually is!
Nor is this principle limited to the workings of individual lives. In fact,
there have been countless examples of people apparently deceived to
feel safer committing or participating in lowly actions when they are
committed as part of a business or government activity. Presumably
they are encouraged by the false sense of security engendered by a
“safety in numbers” mentality.
Regardless of the rationale, the Principle applies. On December 25,
1997, the New York Times ran the following article:
Headline – 30 Firms to Pay $900 Million In Investor Suit. Deal By
Brokers Ends Big Price-Fixing Case.
Thirty brokerage firms, including some of the biggest and most
trusted names on Wall Street, agreed yesterday to pay about $900
million to end a civil suit contending they schemed with one another
for years to fix prices on the NASDAQ stock market.
Lawyers for the plaintiffs in the class action lawsuit, which
represented tens of thousands of investors, called it the biggest
settlement ever of a price-fixing lawsuit.
This is not to suggest that this penalty put any of the firms involved out
of business. The dollars they paid were the least of their headaches in
this matter. The incremental legal expenses involved were most likely
substantial, but the cost in terms of the time and attention required to put
out this fire flamed by individuals throughout the various organizations
is not measurable.
The point is that people within these organizations, went about their
lowly activities unaware that they were setting in motion an inevitable
chain of responses that would be very costly in their toll on the firms