Nov 16 2008
We Know Who’s Going Broke, But Who’s Going To Jail?
The pillars of Wall Street are groaning as financial institutions, insurance companies and automakers start to implode one upon the other. The chain reaction has reached beyond the industrial sector; cities are calling for financial bailouts, or they might not be able to keep the lights on and the streets clean. If this keeps up, it won’t be long before the domino effect of the global economic crisis snaps the alabaster columns of capitalism like toothpicks. As a result, everyone from the top down is broke. Not exactly what Reagan had in mind with his “trickle-down economics” theory, but trickle down it did. It was slow at first, like droplets of water trickling out of a tiny crack in a plastic water trough. It trickles at first, but sooner or later, all that water is going to break through that little crack like a bowling ball through a goldfish bowl.
So, everyone’s broke; we get it. We all got soaked in the bailout. What isn’t so clear is what happens next. Who is going to jail? Anyone? It would appear that no one has an interest in holding anyone accountable; we just want to lament about our collective brokeness. The media, those keepers of the words who vow to bear truth into the light on hands and knees if necessary, haven’t asked the obvious questions as they camp out on Capital Hill capturing the comings and goings of concerned legislators and executives. Why are they so disinclined to investigate, to name names?
Of course, with all hoopla over the G-20 meeting in Washington last week, you’d think someone might call for an investigation. After all, we’re not aboard this sinking ship alone; the whole world is going down with us. Wouldn’t you think someone (maybe the blowhard from Russia) would demandto know who is accountable?
Then there’s us, the American people. We seem to be content to lament our lightened pocketbooks and our less than merry prospects for a bountiful Christmas. It’s almost as if we don’t care who did this to us. Or maybe we have become so accustomed to being pushed around by big government and big business that we are just resigned to the fact that no one is going to jail for the biggest rip-off in history. But we sure are going to pay the price.
Stop whining America. Demand justice. Stop the bailouts.
