The government shall giveth and taketh away

According to the Mar. 6, 2012, Salon.com article, "The Whistleblowers Washington Ignores," by Eyal Press, U.S. legislators are working on taking away the whistleblower incentives as outlined in the Dodd-Frank Act. "Last year, Congressman Michael Grimm, R-N.Y., unveiled the antidote to Dodd-Frank's gestures toward the urge to leak. His 'Whistle-blower Improvement Act' — a name that Orwell might have appreciated — would do away with 
the Dodd-Frank protections. ...

"If passed, it would strip the financial rewards from Dodd-Frank and require most whistle-blowers to first report problems to their employer before even thinking about going to the government," according to Press. He writes that the Project on Government Oversight has wryly observed that, "This would be like requiring police officers to tip off suspects before they begin an investigation."

'Weekend at Bernie's' lives on

Two roommates discovered their friend had died at their home. Bizarrely, instead of doing the logical thing — call the police — the men loaded the body of their friend into the back of their car. They then drove off to a Mexican food dinner and later filled up the gas tank. They dropped the body back off at their house and drove to a strip club. The fun night on the town was courtesy of the dead man's debit card. 

Under a plea agreement, both men received probation and, according to the Denver (Colorado) District Attorney's Office, "must undergo ‘mental health evaluation and treatment, substance abuse assessment and treatment, and cognitive behavioral therapy.' " Good move. 

[Source: "Inspired by ‘Weekend at Bernies'? Two Denver men sentenced in corpse case," by msnbc.com staff and news services].
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