What's At Stake With Plagiarism?

What's at stake with plagiarism?! The answer is a lot.
From a young age we are taught that using someones ideas, words, ect. without giving them credit is wrong. However, we are also taught a trick called paraphrasing or that if we simply change a few of the words than it is not plagiarism. As we have matured and ventured into our college careers the idea of plagiarism has taken on a more serious tone and meaning. That simple word change which once made it okay to use an idea without giving credit to where it came from is no longer acceptable.
So, whats is at stake? In the idea of academic honesty a persons entire college career can be at stake. If an idea isn't cited or is [possibly] cited incorrectly a student can be called into questioning. If found guilty of using another persons words without accrediting that person then the student could be expelled from the university. Once expelled from the university that student has unintentionally (I hope) ruined their career at that particular university.

Other ideas that come into play that can be problematic of plagiarism is that political side of this issue. Money. Yes, money. When an author writes a book and has it published it is understood that the information in that book is either their ideas or fed off of ideas of others, which they have given credit to. When a person takes another persons ideas and uses it as their own, possibly making money off of that idea, the situation becomes political. Whose idea was it to begin with? How was that person able to make money of another persons idea? And without fail, the person from which the original idea came from is probably going to want to reap the benefits (money) that the person has come into procession of.