Two Hanks….Henry J and Henry 3!

Illegal Stock Options….how terrible can that be?  Most of us sitting outside the Corporate Boardrooms of America….have a tough time grasping what goes on there; beyond the wine and cheese meetings and the rarified air of $20 million dollar real estate and $5000 dollar Gucci bags for the wives.

When Ken Lay and Jeff Skillings introduced America to the huberus of the “rich and wanna be famous” in January of 2001 and through 2006….with their trials, it exposed there feet of clay.  Their greed, and their need to be in the middle of everything they touched certainly set the standard.  Bernie Ebbers of World Com quickly followed and as the dominos began to fall….it reached deep into the underbelly of “The Great White Rich Society”.  Even Martha Stewart was nailed and sent to the slam….for improper insider trading….or whatever!  Martha survived…the others not so!  Ken Lay died and Jeff Skillings is doing 24 years in Club Fed……..while he works to get his conviction overturned.  Ebbers is serving 25 years for Accounting Fraud and the Supreme Court refused to hear his appeal.  The not so idle rich….are going through some tough times.

Fast forward Henry J. Samueli and his Broadcom partner Henry T. Nicholas!  These are the Orange Country equivalent of those mentioned above.  Both are rich, rich, rich and busy doing their good works all over the place.  In the old days…..the “Idle Rich” made their money, bought their castles and then laid low.  They sat behind their huge gates and grey walls and just wanted to be left alone.  The “Young Lions” would come to them for counsul and they would dabble in low effort speculative endeavors that made sure that their estates would grow at over 22 percent a year…and ensure that their rich lifestyle would be assured. 

Today’s “Nouveau Riche” are a little different.  They usually either dump their original wives for a new babe….start a new business……get involved in all sorts of 501-C3 Chartible Organizations…which are really 501-C4 or C5’s which engaged in political manipulations and they want more!  More and more and more!  The “Gordon Gekko – Wall Street”  complex seems to takeover their personalities.  It’s quite bizarre!  It is what we might call a “greed sickness”!  Whatever it is…..it is usually, illegal, immoral and usually fattening….mainly their wallets!

The “two Hanks” had a little company called Broadcom.  They made these integrated circuits for all the worlds wi-fi connections.  Thank you guys!  You saved humanity.  We like that!  Along the way, Henry J. bought one of our favorite hockey teams the Anaheim Ducks.  Henry J. loved going to parties with Henry Segerstrom!  Henry T on the other hand is more like Mr. Flamboyant….and loves living in the fast lane.  He was busy flying babes in from Bulgaria and Romainia to his very special drug events in a cave he built under his Estate…that even his wife of then…didn’t know about!  Henry T. felt so much guilt that he even gave two million bucks to Santa Ana for after school programs!  In any event….they both got caught for Illegal Stock Options.  Giving them, trading them, selling them, influencing them, walking around with them, talking about them……..who knows?  Let’s just say….the District Attorney seems to have all the goods on both of them….down to the last farthing!  What they do with their illgotten gains….is not going to be up to them evidently!

Today, the Judge in the case turned down the more demure Henry J from a plea bargain deal which would cost him a mere $12 million bucks to make sure he didn’t do any hard time.  In the meantime, Henry T is pleading Not Guilty….which doesn’t make much sense…since Henry J…already pled Guilty when he made his plea submission!  Oh well, these are legal issues which are above our pay grade….but things are not looking well.  Especially, when the Judge in case…says: “You can’t buy Justice!”  Well, what that really means is: “This case is too high profile…and there is no why in heck….that you guys are getting out of this without doing lots of hard time!”  Is there another District Attorney election soon?  No matter….the boys seem to be in a great deal of trouble…especially when they make the front page of three or four regional newspapers….plus all the economic trades!

So, what is the issue?  We call it the “IN YOUR FACE GREED FACTOR”…..they are guilty.  What happens now?  Who knows?  We wish them well…their families…their friends…their associates!  Perhaps it will serve to send the American message:  Ted Turner…..you are not!  Bill Gates…..you are not!  T. Boone Pickens…..you are not!  Rupert Murdoch…….you are not!  George Soros….you are not!  Michael Phelps….you are not! 

Maybe the words of the “Highlander” fit best!  “There can only be one!”