"The Wolf of Wall Street" captured my interest from the movie trailers. The book is a good read, though a little long, particularly if you have a fascination for the seedy side of rich folk's lives.
This book certainly points out problems with the financial system. Belfort basically admits to many crimes in his book, and it is unlikely that ANY of his "earnings" are actually legal. Not sure what jail sentence he ended up with (a couple of years), but it seems to me that any real justice would be to remove all his ill-gotten gains (e.g. his entire property and funds) along with the jail time. Otherwise, isn't it just a matter of trading a few years in a minimum security prison for millions of dollars and a fantastic hedonistic lifestyle? Wouldn't many people take that deal?
I haven't seen the movie, but it apparently leaves the "average viewer" with the perception that the Wolf didn't get his just rewards - the book certainly leaves me with the same feelings.
Update: saw the movie, same impression as the book - very shallow people who get rich doing immoral and illegal things - penalties have to fit the crimes. If all your wealth was ill-gotten, guess what? - it all should go back.
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