A California Senate committee voted to seek criminal charges against the notorious energy trader Enron for concealing evidence and conspiracy, according to The Washington Post. The committee to Investigate Price Manipulation in the Wholesale Energy Market had already issued a subpoena in June, far before Enron became common on the consumer tongue, to gather documents related to California?s “energy crisis.”

Of course now we know that Enron, and it?s accounting firm Andersen, have been shredding enough documents to create their own ticker tape parade. As I see it, the Enron scandal has four major elements: One, Loss of Investments; two, political ties between Enron and both the Democrat and Republican parties; three, the collapse of the seventh largest company in the country; and four, how the company was able to manipulate the energy market. Let us go case by case.

Surely, the situation that 62 percent of Enron employees had their pensions in Enron stock is sad. But really, folks, diversification is key here. So, a bunch of workers lost their money because they were not informed that with 401K plans you have choices. A bummer, but avoidable.

Okay, so now we are on to the bedding down with Washington. Wow, what a surprise that Timothy White, the secretary of the army, is a former vice-chair of Enron; that Lawrence Lindsey, George W. Bush?s chief economic advisor was a former advisor at Enron! Even the astounding fact that Bush let Ken Lay, the head of Enron, interview “those who would hold high level Energy Department positions” and who would “head the regulatory agency that oversaw Enron,” according to activist Michael Moore, didn?t shock me.

Forgive my cynicism, but it?s also expected that Enron gave millions to each political party. Unfortunately, this is status quo, and while impressive by it?s scale, it?s not shaking up the public like it ought to. It?s just another corrupt government, we sigh.Third, seeing the downfall of a classy, modern corporation (as opposed to the bankruptcy of K-Mart) is an interesting, sort of a modern day clash of the titans. How did they get here, from profound success?

As Robert Scheer points out in The Nation, the Enron scandal is “just the most damning in a long list of evidence?that deregulation?is a terrible disservice.”

Deregulation ideology holds the belief that big business can take care of itself, and there is no need for governmental regulation.

Theoretically, I can go with that. Big business can take care of itself, and very well if we only look at it?s profits. We are a nation of workers, however, and our gains are minimal. And of course, Lay made sure that Washington was tucked in his wallet so that suspicious Congress members would forget his concerns.Since Enron bought and sold energy without disclosing to it?s suppliers or buyers the rate at which it traded, we really have no idea how much Enron manipulated and profited from California?s “Energy (a.k.a. Enron) Crisis.”

By their secrecy and now destruction of evidence, it would have been quite easy to create a false supply and demand problem, or at least exaggerate the dilemma. Obviously, it?s enough to have our Senate seek criminal charges.

Where the thousands of documents have gone, that Senator Joe Dunn is looking for from Enron and five other energy companies, is anyone?s guess. I?m guessing that they are in incinerators, powering up California?s energy market. It?s time for reform. Let us take this as our final lesson.

Is Samantha Hinrichs a purveyor of truth or a liberal wacko? Tell her what you think at [email protected]