A Modest SOTU Proposal

William K. Black--economist, former financial regulator, and author of the indispensable The Best Way to Rob a Bank Is to Own One-- suggests in The New York Times that President Obama should invite whistle-blower Erika Brown to his State of the Union speech. Brown revealed Bank of America's orders that its employees lie to homeowners to encourage foreclosures rather loan modifications that could help borrowers keep their homes. (Stringing homeowners along with the hope of a loan mod they were never going to get eventually saved the bank piles of money.) Pro Publica posted her shocking sworn statement. 

Brown, noting that if President Obama invited Erika Brown to be his guest at the State of the Union, he would signal an end to the administration's hostility toward whistle-blowers" (paging Edward Snowden), had a further suggestion: "The president should use his address to praise her courage and encourage others to follow her lead--and he should create a new website and phone bank so that whistle-blowers can come forward with evidence of fraud." --B.B.