Posted on 02/02/2009 12:41:18 AM PST by Tempest
The basic story line so far is that we are all to blame, including homeowners who bit off more than they could chew, lenders who wrote absurd adjustable-rate mortgages, and greedy investment bankers.
Credit derivatives also figure heavily in the plot. Apologists say that these became so complicated that even Wall Street couldn't understand them and that they created "an unacceptable level of risk." Then these blowhards tell us that the bailout will pump hundreds of billions of dollars into the credit arteries and save the patient, which is the world's financial system. It will take timemaybe a year or sobut if everyone hangs in there, we'll be all right. No structural damage has been done, and all's well that ends well.
Sorry, but that's drivel. In fact, what we are living through is the worst financial scandal in history. It dwarfs 1929, Ponzi's scheme, Teapot Dome, the South Sea Bubble, tulip bulbs, you name it. Bernie Madoff? He's peanuts.
(Excerpt) Read more at villagevoice.com ...
Great one! I cannot believe we are taking a VV article seriously. I mean they make Dan Rather and CBS appear honest and well researched.
You are being far too logical and analytical.
The negativism serves a purpose: Elect Obama and create the appearance of the need for massive government control of the market.
This author connected all the dots...it’s your ideology that makes you unable to understand or accept the truth.
We thought they were regulated, but they were not else they could not have got away with this fraud...repealing the so called bucket laws allowed this to happen...short trading also played a huge roll.
I believe it was meant to be. I’m going to print this out, analyze it, summarize this, and hand it out to every idiot who blames Bush for all the world problems...and credits the dems for all the solutions.
Ah, we are in the process of perishing so whatever you want to call it...doesn’t work.
Right. The simple solution and least costly in the long run is cut corp tax rates to zero (I heard an estimate that US corps. hold about $300 billion overseas for tax reasons - how is that for stimulus?) and cut the cap gains tax to zero. Both forever. Those two alone will rocket our economy back.
Much of this occurred under a GOP Congress so I blame them all.
Amen, these bastids have indeed caused this and have caused people to die...I lost my life savings. Draw and quarter them while you are at it. Wall Street is the most corrupt institution ever...second only to our government. I would remind posters that the GOP has been in control of Congress for all but two years...so they are all to blame.
Nafta did export jobs, the evidence is undeniable.
Fundamental to American liberty is the idea of innocent until proved guilty and individual guilt for specific crimes. If you have evidence of a crime report it. Don't blanket bash all investors - I mean your attitude punishes all of us for the crimes of a few. Think about it.
Of course, Cuba is only a short hop away. There they'll imprison whole families. ;-]
Nope not enough money in those loans to justify the trillions that are being expended to save the banks.
OK. So in other words the existence of the SEC and other regulatory agencies led you to mistakenly believe that trading in exotic securities you didn't really understand was safe? You thought somebody was keeping an eye on things. We now know Maddoff actually wrote some of the SEC rules.
Do you really think CDO's and other weird derivatives would have come into the market if the government wasn't lending credibility to them?
See post 61 for a correction on the connected dots.
What? Have you noticed the unemployment figures...we are about to surpass the 81-82 and head into depression numbers. This indeed the worst economic collapse of my lifetime.
Good response, but you’re wasting your time on this left-wind knucklehead.
Really, I’m surprised that this was posted in comments...didn’t know Wall Street liars read the VV.
marked for later
You know I just don’t see how I can stop Wall Street in collusion with our government from destroying the economy. No matter what your political persuasion, you will be have to live with what has happened... I make no excuses for these guys... who need to be brought to justice asap.
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