Maybe if corporate America had to pay the full amount on the tens of billions of dollars in settlements made with state and federal governments, they would be a little more reluctant to break the laws on such a regular basis.
Unfortunately because these are called settlements rather than fines or penalties, they are tax deductible.
Government needs to hold these corporate entities more accountable for their actions, when those actions have such a pernicious effect on our society. Individuals have always been dealt with severely by our justice system, while their corporate counterparts receive only a slap on the wrist in the form of a tax deductible settlement.
These corporate lawbreakers have been responsible for causing great harm and injury to many people; as is the case with the tobacco companies knowingly selling an unsafe product, lying about it and covering it up, pharmaceutical companies knowingly selling drugs that have more than the divulged safety risk, chemical companies guilty of negligent polluting and automobile companies guilty of selling autos & trucks they know not to be as safe as they represent.
They don't even suffer the fate of bad publicity hurting their businesses. The public is so numbed to the practices that tobacco company stocks have recently traded at all time highs. Financial company stocks sell at all time highs, despite making settlement after settlement for abusing customer trust.
These companies break the law with the full knowledge that if their illegal practices are ever found out, they would have made enough to justify massive legal fees and settlements. This is endemic throughout our system and new abuses are being discovered almost daily.
Efforts are being made in Congress to change and dilute many of the provisions of Sarbanes-Oxley, which was enacted to help rein in corporate crime. These efforts have to be studied for their true effect.
This brings to mind the old adage; steal big and the world will love you, steal small and you are hated by all.