Ta Ta, Zheng Xiaoyu

In a speech he made in 2001, China's former top drug regulator declared that "corrupt officials in the system should be severely punished according to the law." On Tuesday July 10, 2007, the Chinese government took him at his word and executed him. Kudos to them.
During his eight-year tenure heading up the State Food and Drug Administration, he, his wife and his son had solicited and accepted gifts and bribes from eight drug companies that totalled more than 6.5 million yuan. The loot included a car, a villa and corporate stock, among other things, in return for special favours. Those favours meant doing things like approving medicines that should never have made it to the market; like turning a blind eye to tens of thousands of crates of unsafe pharmaceuticals that went to China's own citizens. There is no way to know how many deaths and how much suffering resulted directly from Zheng's cupidity.
Zheng was sentenced on the 29th of May and his appeal was heard last month. The method of execution has not been disclosed, but who cares? Zheng was garbage and garbage needs to be swept away. Whether you use a broom or a mop makes no difference.
Some are saying Zheng was made a scapegoat. Maybe he was. Obviously, he is not the only corrupt official still in power, but if there is to be any clean-up, a start had to be made somewhere. It may be the last good deed Zheng did when he went to his death. Hopefully it will help bring the message to others indulging in malfeasance that they should be ready to pay the ultimate price tag for their corruption.