Personal Responsibility: Crime and Punishment

So, this may or may not be a long rant, but here goes.

Employee Smith is a high ranking official in the security division of the company's IT department. One day Smith goes off and makes a few wagers on a sporting event and loses his shirt, as well as his car, house, 401k, and family pet. He knows he cant fork over the kind of money he bet on a sure-win. He finds out he has access to hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of private information that his company has stored for its clients. He decides to make money and 'borrow' the information and accidently lose it and mysteriously find a couple hundred grand in his bank account. He gets caught. Should he A) be fired on the spot and black listed from future jobs in that field, B) fired and sent to jail for XX number of years, or C) get a reprimand from his bosses and told not to do it again?

Employee Jones, has a pretty high level of permissions from the company. In an innocent attempt to make his life easier, he breaches security and posts something not to be designated for public view. Information that could lead to 10's of thousands of clients from being able to access vital resourses that the company provides. He gets caught. Should he A) be fired on the spot, B) get a disciplinary action against him C) slap on his hand from his bosses and told not to do it again?

Both instances can be potentially hazardous to the continued well being of the company, but do the crimes match? and should the punishments be what they are?

Both are victims of thier own circumstance, yet both will blame other things than themselves in hopes that they wont get punished as bad. Sadly, this lack of personal responsibility is not a natural trait, its very much a learned condition and as such will never go away if superior employees do not take it upon themselves to rid their company of such harmful responses to harmful actions.

Personal Accountability.

If I am pulling into a parking space and I miss judge the space and scrape the car, I would probably 1. feel really horrible that I messed up someones car, but I would also leave my information with that car so that the owner can contact me and we can exchange information... Too many times has this happened and the guy/gal has pulled out of the spot (usually doing double damage) only to go park some where else further away...

Only in America can you be ignorant and get awarded $millions for burning your 80-year old cooch with hot coffee from McDonalds. Only in America can you blindly change lanes into an 18-wheeler and have your brand new lexus totalled, then sue the trucking company $millions for not being able to have 'intimate relations' with your spouse. Only in America can you threaten to sue to get your way. "My lawyer can beat up your lawyer."

Welcome to the litigation nation!

Ladies and gentlemen, its is with heavy heart and mind that I tell you that it is okay to sue a school district and make them pay you to have your kid not go to school due to some 'affliction' to learning.

Ladies and gentlemen, it is okay to sue your neighbor because his apple tree liters in your yard.

Ladies and gentlemen, it is okay to sue a retailer because their advertising of half naked bodies gives you a tingle in the place where your priest used to touch you.

Ladies and gentlemen, its time that I, no, WE file a class action lawsuit against lawyers everywhere for the injustice they have helped create, and for the countless millions of people they have taken advantage of and for all the people who have had their most basic level of logic and common sense taken away all in the name of 'justice.'