It is a pervasive and foolish myth that only these supposedly highly gifted individuals already at these failing companies are able to run these firms well and make the sort of creative and managerial decisions that will enable them to prosper.
In fact, it's likely that the opposite is true. With the failure and criminal indictment of Enron, for instance, many of the slimy executives from that corporation scattered like roaches to other firms where they applied the reprehensible strategies learned in Texas to similar manipulations of international oil futures. Executives at the highest levels in huge banks and insurance companies have learned that they will be rewarded for fraud, manipulation and extortion.
The way to put an end to this criminal culture is to lock down the profits. I think we'll find that the whole thing is just smoke and mirrors once the curtain is ripped away.
If we're all going to be out of work and hungry, we can do that just as easily with them as without them. When the owner of the last-place Pittsburgh Pirates rejected Ralph Kiner's request for a raise after leading the league in hitting and home runs, he said the simple truth: "We can finish last without you."