Whistleblowers and the Dodd-Frank Bill.

Thanks to a lobbying firm working with the US chamber of commerce, NY rep. Michael Gromm is threatening to remove the protection as a whistleblowers that was implimented with the Dodd-Frank act.
Grimm introduced the Whistleblower Improvement Act of 2011 (H.R. 2483) in July, but despite its deceptive name, this bill does absolutely nothing to improve whistleblower protections. It's easy to confuse Grimm's bill with the separate Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act, which deserves full Congressional support. Grimm's bill, in contrast, guts the whistleblower provisions included in the Dodd-Frank financial reform legislation and puts whistleblowers at grave risk. Our Congress recognized after the financial collapse of 2008 that direct measures and incentives must be taken to ensure the amininity of those who come forward to disclose illigal  corporate practices. This bill also acts to prevent retribution being administered to those who speak out, often violating confidentiality agreements, against their employers.

The idea behind the Dodd-Frank whistleblower program was to create protections in the spirit of the highly effective False Claims Act. The new protections aim to deter companies from retaliating against whistleblowers and provide resources and incentives for potential lamplighters, which would, in turn, increase the number of reports to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Ultimately, this will help stop corporate fraud, waste, abuse - and maybe even prevent the next Bernie Madoff.

It's my contention that by taking these appropriate measures through the legistlative process, that our society will be more adaquetly prepared to respond to corporate abuses moving forward. The Bernie Madoffs of the world will always be present, but couldn't we choose to hold them accountable for their actions? Shouldn't there be a means for employees to step in when their company is causing damage to the nations economy for their own financial gain? Failing al any, or all of this, can we at the very least agree that it's practical for our system to promote the betterment of the community vs. that of the individual? These questions are being presented through an ethical rubric that at it's center ask the critical question that's associate with a whistleblower, or anyone else who's ever dared to speak out against wrong-doing: which is, What is our duty to our fellow man?These people are under no legal obligation to address these matters, often times it results in loss of employment, career changes being forced, and obstatrizing one from their field. Through Philosophy we ask many of the big questions, many that are decidingly difficult to write about, or fit into one paper, but regardless of where we go in life, or where the path leads any one person, this question will always prevade, what is our duty to others?

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