January 28, 2012, YOU... make the call
Honestly, the Grey Lady, in juxtaposing two articles, one in which it evidently decries former Republican National Committee Chairman and Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour's remarkably generous granting of pardons on his way out the door, and Republican Presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and his longstanding financial ties to Goldman Sachs, invites the immediate comparison of "which one is more troubling?", It is necessary to observe that , at least in the 2008 election cycle, three of Barack Obama's ten largest contributors were Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan Chase and Citigroup, and that since Barack Obama took office, virtually no one has been held to account for their role in the 2007-8 financial crisis (even though over 1,000 went to jail for the smaller S&L crisis in the '80's).
Alrightie then.... I put it to you: which is worse: (1) Convicted criminals suddenly find their debts to society abruptly reduced and canceled as a result of seeming political influence, or (2) A financial sector that has bought itself exemption from even investigation and prosecution, let alone "accountability"? It might be helpful to observe that Romney is Wall Street's man this cycle in terms of fundraising... unless, of course, he isn't and Obama is.
Either way, say what you will, but those that Barbour pardoned, even if they played their political influence cards, at least had some level of public accountability for their crimes (even if their sentences were abruptly shortened).
In the area of Wall Street's infinitely larger scale crimes, which have brought our entire financial system (and, I'm not being too hyperbolic when I suggest, quite possibly, civilization, at least in the United States) to threat of ruination through commission of massive fraud and other crimes... remains as beyond accountability as Bush-era torturers (except for whistleblowers, of course), and indeed, have been given free license to play with their "credit default swaps" and other financial weapons of mass destruction on even larger scales than those that nearly destroyed Western civilization in 2008.
I think you'll know where I'm coming down... but I leave it to you... YOU... make the call.