09-19-2008, 07:09 PM
Two Things for Guitarist:
1. Lean was pun.
2. Revenge? Hardly. The word is responsibility. Showing my age, I refer to an old TV series called "Baretta". The theme song had this lyric: "Don't do the crime if you can't do the time. Don't do it."
These people went right ahead and did it anyway. To his credit, even the "I don't know anything about economics" presidential candidate John McCain saw the handwriting on the wall in 2006 when he warned that Freddie and Fannie were heading for disaster. Did anyone listen, much less do anything about it? No.
And now I'm supposed to bail these people out? Nope - not the people. I understand the greater goal of protecting our financial "fundamentals", but not the people who actually caused the problem. And make no mistake, PEOPLE caused this problem. And, for once, and since I'm now an investor in their enterprise, I honestly believe they should do the time.
Christianity just didn't happen, it blossomed from the teachings of one man.
Communism? Karl Marx.
Nazis? Adolph Hilter.
Remember the old days when you could invest in American business when you purchased stock? You handed over cash, you got a printed certificate, and you were part owner of GM, GE, or Gee Whiz. No "instruments" or "derivatives" or "sub-prime loans" or "short selling" or "options". It was a straight forward deal.
Remember the old days when you got a pension from the company you worked for? Remember when your pension fund wasn't something to be sold or traded for the enrichment of the company and its executives?
But no more. To justify their very existence, the Wall Street people and Bankers made it much more complicated and murky. A sure way to protect your jobs. Well, you blew it. And now the Piper gets paid.
I have two 17 year olds. You tell me how the hell I am supposed to teach them personal responsibility when they watch this disaster unfolding? Go ahead, tell me, I could use the help and advise.
They've grown up in an era where they've witnessed 9/11, Iraq, Anthrax attacks, Valerie Plame, Katrina and now Wall Street. Guitarist - you tell me one person who has gone to jail over these disasters? Give me one name of someone who was fired because of their complicity in any of those calamities?
NOTE: Scooter Libby doesn't count because he's already been pardoned because he's a nice guy with a family.
Do I think the Captains of Industry are heroes? Hardly.
The passengers aboard Untied Flight 93 were.
Ben Sliney is. Who is he? He's the FAA Administrator who, on his own, without direction or command from the President of the United States, Vice-President or Joint Chiefs of Staff decided to ground every airplane in the sky on the morning of 9/11 because he knew it was necessary for the country's protection.
People are the root of good and bad. The people in Washington DC and Wall Street Brokers and Bankers are the root cause of this crisis and they should be held accountable. I have hammered five basic rules into my kids since they were old enough to understand language:
1. You're responsible for what you say.
2. You're responsible for what you don't say.
3. You're responsible for what you do.
4. You're responsible for what you don't do.
5. You always give your very best effort.
If those are good enough for my teenagers, they damn well better be good enough for the fat cats and politicos in the Washington/Wall Street cabal.
Revenge? No.
Personal Responsibility? Yes.
1. Lean was pun.
2. Revenge? Hardly. The word is responsibility. Showing my age, I refer to an old TV series called "Baretta". The theme song had this lyric: "Don't do the crime if you can't do the time. Don't do it."
These people went right ahead and did it anyway. To his credit, even the "I don't know anything about economics" presidential candidate John McCain saw the handwriting on the wall in 2006 when he warned that Freddie and Fannie were heading for disaster. Did anyone listen, much less do anything about it? No.
And now I'm supposed to bail these people out? Nope - not the people. I understand the greater goal of protecting our financial "fundamentals", but not the people who actually caused the problem. And make no mistake, PEOPLE caused this problem. And, for once, and since I'm now an investor in their enterprise, I honestly believe they should do the time.
Christianity just didn't happen, it blossomed from the teachings of one man.
Communism? Karl Marx.
Nazis? Adolph Hilter.
Remember the old days when you could invest in American business when you purchased stock? You handed over cash, you got a printed certificate, and you were part owner of GM, GE, or Gee Whiz. No "instruments" or "derivatives" or "sub-prime loans" or "short selling" or "options". It was a straight forward deal.
Remember the old days when you got a pension from the company you worked for? Remember when your pension fund wasn't something to be sold or traded for the enrichment of the company and its executives?
But no more. To justify their very existence, the Wall Street people and Bankers made it much more complicated and murky. A sure way to protect your jobs. Well, you blew it. And now the Piper gets paid.
I have two 17 year olds. You tell me how the hell I am supposed to teach them personal responsibility when they watch this disaster unfolding? Go ahead, tell me, I could use the help and advise.
They've grown up in an era where they've witnessed 9/11, Iraq, Anthrax attacks, Valerie Plame, Katrina and now Wall Street. Guitarist - you tell me one person who has gone to jail over these disasters? Give me one name of someone who was fired because of their complicity in any of those calamities?
NOTE: Scooter Libby doesn't count because he's already been pardoned because he's a nice guy with a family.
Do I think the Captains of Industry are heroes? Hardly.
The passengers aboard Untied Flight 93 were.
Ben Sliney is. Who is he? He's the FAA Administrator who, on his own, without direction or command from the President of the United States, Vice-President or Joint Chiefs of Staff decided to ground every airplane in the sky on the morning of 9/11 because he knew it was necessary for the country's protection.
People are the root of good and bad. The people in Washington DC and Wall Street Brokers and Bankers are the root cause of this crisis and they should be held accountable. I have hammered five basic rules into my kids since they were old enough to understand language:
1. You're responsible for what you say.
2. You're responsible for what you don't say.
3. You're responsible for what you do.
4. You're responsible for what you don't do.
5. You always give your very best effort.
If those are good enough for my teenagers, they damn well better be good enough for the fat cats and politicos in the Washington/Wall Street cabal.
Revenge? No.
Personal Responsibility? Yes.