Here's a story about two different sets of rules. On one side, you have Martha Stewart, who went to federal prison for five months. Her crime? Making about $45,000 on a stock trade. On the other side, you have members of Congress, who, according to former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci, are making hundreds of millions from their stock trades. And they're not getting prosecuted.

Scaramucci laid out this stark contrast in a post on X, and he didn't mince words. "Martha Stewart made $45,000 in profits. They caught her. They prosecuted her. She spent five months in federal prison," he wrote. Then came the punchline: "Members of Congress are making hundreds of millions."

It's the kind of comparison that makes you stop and think. Why does one person face serious time for a relatively small sum, while others involved in much larger transactions face no consequences? Scaramucci suggests the system meant to police this activity isn't working, pointing to the recent resignation of the head of an enforcement division tasked with monitoring it.

And before you think this is a partisan attack, Scaramucci is careful to note this isn't about one party. "I want to be clear, this is not a Republican problem. This is a Washington problem," he said, calling the entire situation "the scandal."

So, what's his solution? He's urging lawmakers to take action on a few fronts: overturn the Citizens United decision, pass the proposed "Bets Off Act" to restrict stock trading by Congress, and strengthen enforcement of the STOCK Act, which is supposed to prevent insider trading by members of Congress. It's a tall order, but he's framing it as a necessary fix for a broken system.

Scaramucci isn't the only one sounding the alarm about political corruption lately. Last week, Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) warned that corruption benefiting corporations and billionaires is a direct cause of Americans' economic struggles, pointing to stagnant wages and high drug prices.

And last year, Representative Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) introduced a resolution aimed at blocking former President Donald Trump and his family from getting into the cryptocurrency business or accepting foreign funds, citing concerns about using public office for personal gain.

It all paints a picture of growing frustration with how money, power, and the markets intersect in Washington. The Martha Stewart example, now decades old, has become a handy reference point for just how uneven the playing field appears to be.