It's tasteless, but, well, the devil made me do it.

Posted by: Jack Bog at July 5, 2006 04:18 PM

I wouldn't wish death on anyone, and don't feel any joy in Mr. Lay's passing. However, when I read that he died in his vacation home in Aspen...well, that disappointed me. He deserved to die in prison. The men and women whose pensions he devoured will never have vacation homes in Aspen or anywhere else.

Posted by: teacherrefpoet at July 5, 2006 04:29 PM

"You'll never take me alive!"

Posted by: Jack Bog at July 5, 2006 04:35 PM

It really does want an atheist to start believing in heaven and hell.

Or at least the possibility of re-incarnation into poop bacteria.

Posted by: john goode at July 5, 2006 05:50 PM

"Top o' the world, Ma!"

Posted by: Jack Bog at July 5, 2006 05:51 PM

Kenny Boy!!!!

Posted by: Alan Bluehole at July 5, 2006 07:08 PM

I wouldn't wish death on anybody, let alone everybody.

Posted by: skyview satellite at July 5, 2006 07:23 PM

My bet is, Kenny Lay drank the Tree Root Tea.

Posted by: Abe at July 5, 2006 08:04 PM

So he died of a heart attack? As Loey said, "I didn't know he had a heart."

Posted by: Andy & Loey at July 5, 2006 08:29 PM

I think they should bury him in Texas but then have the coffin be just an empty shell, while he's really buried in the Cayman Islands.

Posted by: Bill McDonald at July 5, 2006 08:54 PM

Ken Lay's actions were as evil as it gets when it comes to corporate mayhem. However, the celebration by some folks of his untimely death bothers me. It's all tragedy. What's to celebrate?

Posted by: Robert Canfield at July 5, 2006 09:57 PM

Certainly not his paying his massive debts to our society, which he never did.

Posted by: Jack Bog at July 5, 2006 10:18 PM

http://vulgarboatman.blogspot.com/2006/07/ken-lay-is-dead-reuters-nyt-update-ok.html

Posted by: josh at July 5, 2006 10:41 PM

I think the lesson in Ken Lay is that we're all just here a short time so why hurt a bunch of people? What do you get out of it? I could see the strategy of massive greed and hubris if we had 1000 years here, but to act this poorly for the reward of such a short time - even if he had lived another 20 years - is illogical to the extreme. It makes me think many powerful men live in denial of their own mortality. Perhaps power is even a way to pretend it's not such a short stay....my God, when did I turn into Dr. Phil?

Posted by: Bill McDonald at July 5, 2006 10:48 PM

hmm... perhaps he faked his death and headed to Brazil to have a sex change and hang out with nazi war criminals....serioiusly just wait, this theory will be floated on late nite conspiracy radio. although I would have loved to see him in real federal pound me in the touchie prison

Posted by: gl at July 5, 2006 10:53 PM

actually I just thought of a better conspiracy theory. He faked his death, had plastic surgery to disguise himself, and will reinvent himself as a developer in portland, or maybe sell monorails to portlandl...

Posted by: gl at July 5, 2006 10:56 PM

Ken Lay was no different than nearly the entire set of folks that today touch upon real estate, including government's that are eager to issue property tax backed bonds and The O that reaps huge revenue from adds by the folks that sell the very idea (the dream) that a home (like Enron stock) can only go up in price, in perpetuity.

I swear that the Real Market Value of residential homes are really, really worth double and triple the rental justified valuations that true property investors use, with a cap rate of 10 and recovery of the investment strictly from rent.

When interest rates return to the levels from Paul Volker's inflationary expectation fighting days then homes will still hold their "value," I swear.

Ken Lay served an important function: to satisfy folk's belief that wealth can grow on trees. But just as with a Pet Rock (and perhaps bottled tap water) the fad ultimately fades.

I don't believe in demons any more than I do in any deity or afterlife. If I were the Multnomah County Tax Assessor, and charged with setting the Real Market Value, then the Stenland-tribe would think I was the Devil himself. If I were the State Treasurer and charged with reviewing the appraisal of the Fair Market Value of the OIC holdings then I would again be viewed as the Devil himself.

Someone has to play Devil's advocate.

Nothing has changed. Absolutely nothing. The devil lies within us all, not without.

Posted by: Ron Ledbury at July 6, 2006 12:13 AM

Ken Lay repeatedly said that he would never spend a day in prison.

Posted by: Dan Meek at July 6, 2006 02:22 AM

"federal pound me in the touchie prison"

Is this how ordinary people think about punishment? Small wonder, then, that we torture our captives. Yuck.

Posted by: Allan L. at July 6, 2006 07:44 AM

The Oregonian loved him; his 'social skills' and "aw shucks" mannerisms. It has to admit it was fooled here, but most of the time just disses the 'dissidents'(who turn out to have been right) with a tiresome display of ignorance and arrogance and without much, if any, soul searching.

Posted by: Cynthia at July 6, 2006 10:22 AM

Oh this is JUST great. Kenny Boy conveniently dies, and now his estate will go virtually untouched by the government.

What a shame he can't be locked up. Lay is an economic terrorist who has adversely affected more people than Al Qaida in this country... his selfish actions ruined millions of lives. Chew on that for a second. Arguably, he's worse than a murderer, even serial.

Posted by: TKrueg at July 6, 2006 12:57 PM

You can take it from everyone else, but you can't take it with you when your number's pulled.

Posted by: pril at July 6, 2006 01:49 PM

[Posted as indicated; restored later.]