A place for mad Madoff

Regarding David Lazarus’ column “Madoff warnings fell on deaf ears,” Dec. 21:

I think the suggested punishment, “a night or two in the box,” is far too lenient. Megalomaniacal, narcissistic madman Bernard L. Madoff ought to be sent to an institution for the criminally insane, where for good behavior he might get to share a cell with Charles Manson or some other creature of his ilk.

Karen Shapiro

Stevenson Ranch

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My dad told me years ago, “Steal a hundred dollars and you are a thief; steal a million and you are a financier.”

Greed is the name of the game. When they deregulated all the various industries, it’s like when the child goes to college for the first year. Nobody is watching, so all hell breaks loose.

Larry Manhan

Canoga Park

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Collective greed and being too trusting or naive were contributors to the scam in which all of us had a role. Every one of his investors believed and behaved as pure capitalists seeking maximum returns with the least amount of risk.

We need our president-elect and the new Congress to take the lead in creating a new social market paradigm consisting of social-based principles and practices aimed at ensuring a sustainable, high-quality lifestyle for all.

This is in essence what Madoff exemplifies to me: short-term gains and pleasure and longer-term disorientation, financial uncertainty and temporary loss of trust and hope in our system. This is truly a powerful image that will be embedded in our societal psyche until the next major financial traumatic experience. Group therapy, anyone?

Jesus Arguelles

Los Angeles