Worldcom Trial: Ebbers says "not an economist."

[Tsiyu]

Ebbers Jurors Hear His Voice: 'I'm ... Not an Economist'

By Erin McClam Associated Press Writer
Published: Jan 27, 2005


NEW YORK (AP) - Jurors heard the Southern-tinged voice of former WorldCom Inc. CEO Bernard Ebbers, saying on a conference call that "I'm a P.E. graduate, not an economist."
The tape, introduced by Ebbers' defense lawyer, was designed to bolster the notion that Ebbers led WorldCom in broad strokes, leaving the numbers work to his chief financial officer, Scott Sullivan.

It was played in court Wednesday on the first day of testimony in the federal trial of Ebbers, accused of orchestrating the massive fraud that drove WorldCom into bankruptcy in 2002.

In the February 2002 conference call, Merrill Lynch & Co. analyst Adam Quinton asks Ebbers if he can offer any prediction on when the U.S. economy will come out of its recession.

Ebbers answers: "As far as indicators of ... when we're going to come out of the recession, you know, remember, I'm a P.E. graduate, not an economist. So I don't know that I can speak to that with any credibility or anything."

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGBMTWKIG4E.html

[Maddy McCall]

1. I know Bernie Ebbers. He's a micromanaging SOB.

A relative of mine is a founding member and of a charitible organization Ebbers decided that he wanted to "help out" the charity, so he donated a new bus to the group, which travels all over the US doing the work they do.

Well, Bernie decided that, since he donated the bus, he should mandate to the group to where they should travel. The founding members--the board of directors of the group--returned Bernie's bus to him and told him to stick it.

That's the kind of man he is...he's a micromanager, even to the point that he was attempting to run an organization of which he wasn't even a part. The board of directors made decisions on where they would do their work based on areas with the greatest need. Bernie wasn't even on the board, and he would just call up and over-rule the board.

Moral of the story--there's NO WAY he didn't know what was going on with WorldCom. No effen way.

[Tsiyu]

2. Aren't you glad that's all you know of him?

Seems like to survive in business these days you have to be willing to be exremely unethical. I mean, EXTREMELY unethical.

I think I'll stay a poor, dumb hillbilly.:hippie: