> Even BP didn't get that big of a fine when they polluted half of the Atlantic Ocean.

So? The thing with corporations is, if they do something bad and you give them a small fine, they'll just consider it a write-off expense.

Corporations lack morality. They are not human, they cannot be reformed. If you want them to behave, you have to make their bad actions hurt. You can't just lock them up, either.

Thus, a big fine is the only way to force them to act.