[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 44 (Thursday, April 18, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E591]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E591]]


LETTER FROM MICHAEL HAYHURST, PARTNER IN BOISE, IDAHO, OFFICE OF ARTHUR 
                                ANDERSEN

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. C.L. ``BUTCH'' OTTER

                                of idaho

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 18, 2002

  Mr. OTTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to place into the public record 
the views of my constituent, Michael Hayhurst of Boise, Idaho. Michael 
is a partner in the Boise office of Arthur Andersen and is deeply 
concerned for the future of his firm and the well being of his fellow 
employees and their families. I urge the Administration and others who 
are pursuing the wrongdoers in the Enron collapse to remember that all 
of their actions impact the innocent as well. It is my fervent hope 
that a just settlement can be found that will ensure that the guilty 
are adequately punished, retirees are protected, and innocent men and 
women can maintain their jobs and careers.

                                         Arthur Andersen, LLP,

                                        Boise, ID, March 15, 2002.
     U.S. Rep. Butch Otter,
     Longworth House Office Building,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear U.S. Representative Butch Otter: As one of your 
     constituents, I would like you to consider the following:
       I am a partner of the Boise office of Arthur Andersen. I 
     was admitted to the partnership on September 1, 2001 (last 
     fall) and find it necessary to provide information to you 
     about our Firm's current situation and myself.
       I was born and raised in Idaho. I grew up in American 
     Falls--a town of 3,000 people, just west of Pocatello. As one 
     would expect for an accountant, I was somewhat of a bookworm 
     and did not participate much in the party scene in school. I 
     was, however, able to maintain a 4.0 GPA (there was no extra 
     credit for college prep courses at that time) and graduate as 
     a co-valedictorian of the class of 1984. As an aside, I am 
     also an Eagle Scout.
       I attended Idaho State University for my higher education 
     and graduated in 1990 with a double major in accounting and 
     finance. My college time was extended as I received a Rotary 
     scholarship to study in Australia between my junior and 
     senior year. Throughout college, I maintained a 3.93 GPA and 
     attained the highest score in the state of Idaho on the CPA 
     exam for individuals sitting for the exam the spring of 1990.
       I started my career with Arthur Andersen June 3, 1990. I 
     was, and still am, very proud to be able to work with as fine 
     of people as I have had the opportunity to work with over the 
     last 11 years with Arthur Andersen. I also am very proud of 
     the history and the culture of our firm. The coordinated 
     attack on our name and our people by congress and the media 
     does not do justice to, or represent the true side of my firm 
     or the 85,000 outstanding individuals in my firm (28 thousand 
     of whom are located in the United States).
       The rules we operate under have gotten increasingly complex 
     since I started with the Firm. This includes both the 
     accounting rules under which our clients are required to 
     report financial information and the auditing rules and 
     standards under which we attempt to provide reasonable 
     assurance that those financial statements are materially 
     correct. I will not bore you with the details, but I can 
     assure you that I have spent and continue to spend a 
     significant amount of my time staying up-to-date on these 
     rules and that I come to work every day with nothing but the 
     intention of doing what is right. I always strive to do the 
     best job that I can, for my Firm, my clients and the users of 
     their financial statements.
       Also over the last eleven years, I have become increasingly 
     involved in the community of which I am a part. I am 
     currently acting as the Treasurer of Fundsy, Inc., the Ore-
     Ida Council of Boy Scouts and the Boise River Festival. Not 
     only do I commit a significant amount of time to these 
     activities (much of which is during my workday and using Firm 
     resources--our culture has always been to give back to our 
     communities, which the Firm wholeheartedly supports with 
     monetary and other resources for our people) but I also 
     contribute monetarily to these and other civic causes in the 
     community.
       After being with Anderson for one year, I met an R.N. 
     working for St. Luke's RMC and we were married one year 
     later. We now have two children. My oldest son is five and 
     will be starting kindergarten next fall. He is in swimming 
     lessons at the local Y and this spring and summer will 
     participate in Y-Ball (basketball) and T-Ball. My youngest 
     son is three and will begin preschool next fall. We just 
     found out that our youngest son has amblyomiopia. He will now 
     be wearing glasses and may have to patch his eye after the 
     next visit to the optometrist. My wife still works as an R.N. 
     and somehow finds time to keep all of the men in her life 
     under some semblance of control.
       I am trying to put a face on Arthur Andersen for you, my 
     representatives to our government, so that you understand 
     that Andersen is made up of people. The abridged story above 
     plays itself out 40 times, the number of professionals we 
     have in our Boise office, locally and over 28 thousand times 
     in communities across the United States. All of us are 
     individuals at various stages in our careers. Over 99% of our 
     professionals in the United States have never worked on, or 
     had anything to do with, the Enron audit.
       As I signed my Partner Agreement on September 1. I have had 
     to come to the realization that the loan I took out at that 
     time to provide my capital contribution to the Firm will 
     likely not be repaid from funds out of my capital account, I 
     can live with that. What I cannot live with is the potential 
     impact that the Department of Justice's position will have on 
     my people in this office. This is not ``justice'' and has 
     prompted me to write to you. I am an American and as we have 
     all seen after the events of September 11, we can only be 
     unjustly beaten down and pushed around so long before we find 
     ourselves in a position of having to fight back.
       Our position is that we are not guilty, therefore we will 
     not plead guilty. Also, we believe that a fair reading of the 
     facts is summarized in the attached letter and our law firm's 
     report on its investigation into the document destruction 
     matter would lead anyone to the conclusion that this 
     indictment, and the manner in which it is being pursued, is 
     nothing but a gross abuse of power that is being orchestrated 
     for political reasons.
       Normally, I would say, ``let the courts decide.'' However, 
     the risk of enforcing a death sentence on over 86,000 careers 
     (28,000 in the U.S.)--which has been amply pointed out in the 
     media--without ever having the opportunity for this to reach 
     a free hearing in trial, along with the fact that we have 
     been completely forthcoming and cooperative throughout this 
     process and that we have agreed to significant changes 
     without the enforcement of criminal charges, makes this an 
     unconscionable act by my government's officials.
       Please take the time to read the following information. I 
     would be happy to answer any questions you may have or 
     provide additional information if necessary. You may reach me 
     at 208-387-4029.
       Thank you for your time.
           Very truly yours,
                                              Michael L. Hayhurst.

     

                          ____________________