I've been filing away some records I just got back from the taxation auditors, yea I was audited. But, good news, I got a clean bill of health. Which got me to thinking about Enron and it's 'creative accounting' fiasco. Admittedly, there is an element of creative accounting on my part, whether it be in my own personal or client files, but that's the beauty of existing in a self-regulated industry. Broadly based principles, some guidelines open to interpretation and the exercise of 'professional' judgement'. Being in this industry as long as I have been, one can start, or should start to sense, how far that envelope can be pushed. In Enron's case, I think the envelope was pushed right off the desk and sailed on out the window. How though? Corporate greed -- money being the root of all evil? Defense mechanism or survival instinct from the Enron brass -- people are watching, sweep everything under the carpet? Chaos theory -- a tiny change in initial conditions and omigod?