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Cheaters Never Win

By Larry Doyle on February 13, 2009 at 8:10 AM in Barack Obama, Bernie Madoff, Current Affairs, Economic Stimulus, Economy, Tim Geithner

While our country has had high profile cheats such as Bernie Madoff, Barry Bonds, and the crowd from Enron amongst MANY others, we have other cheats permeating our lives every day. Tim Geithner offered that “he screwed up” on his taxes and Alex Rodriguez claimed that he was young and naive from 2001-2003 when he took steroids. In my opinion, I believe both of these individuals are representative of a society that has become far too lax in tolerating a lack of decency and integrity. This is not good business!!

In the midst of the current economic turmoil, we all want to look for individuals, groups, parties, and/or industries that are culpable and direct our indignation towards them. While we may gain some sort of short term gratification, are we changing the nature of the dialogue and in turn the course of our country? I think not.

The opportunity for the “silent majority” within the American public to voice their opinion, promote real core values of decency and accountability, and “lead” our country has never been greater.

The greatness of our country is in its diversity, but those who would swamp our core values of decency and accountability in pursuit of their own commercial success has vastly exceeded the level of acceptability. I am fully tolerant of those who make mistakes to be allowed the opportunity to make recompense and move on. However, in light of the current dynamics at work in the markets, economy, and society as a whole, I believe we are paying the price for the long term erosion of a set of core values founded on decency and integrity.

Where do we see this erosion? I guess the question could be posed as, where don’t we see it?

Sports….within every league, the pursuit of the almighty buck has decimated the virtue of decency and integrity. Speak up and don’t patronize those teams and organizations that condone cheating.

Politics…from both sides of the aisle, politicians collect excessive money and “buy” elections, rework districts, “pay to play,” cheat on taxes, and throw ridiculously exuberant celebrations. Inundate your representatives with messages of disgust. Let them know that a bill (the stimulus bill includes provisions that restrict bidding to union labor) that restricts a fair and competitive bidding process from both union and non-union labor is UNACCEPTABLE!!

Music…the invasion of vulgarity in every form into this medium far exceeds the freedom of expression. The same can be said for film. Don’t patronize them.

Families…when a father does not take the responsibility for bringing a child into this world, he is cheating the society that very often pays the cost. 70% of African American newborns enter this country into single parent units. 50% of Hispanics and 30+% of Caucasians. If Barack Obama wants to talk about RESPONSIBILITY, then let’s start right here!!

Business….why is it 2009 before women are paid equal wages to men? Why do business executives promote excessive profit versus doing the right thing by their employees and customers? Be vocal in your support of businesses that operate with integrity and equally vocal in your contempt of those that don’t.

While we can debate and discuss Stimulus Plans, Financial Stability Plans, market volatility, recessions (if not depressions), and so on, the real debate before our country at this moment in time is actually much larger than any of this.

Who are we as a people? What do we truly want for our children and grandchildren? What degree of sacrifice are we willing to make for future generations?

Will we be the leaders we want and know that we need? This is OUR country. I implore you to become that much more vocal in your own communities for the voice of decency and integrity. In doing so, we will be promoting good business principles. I firmly believe that by changing the nature of the dialogue, we can change the nature of our business and economy. Our markets may then begin to improve. Unless and until that happens, I am not encouraged that we will see the improvement that many political and business pundits would have us believe. While some may think cheating can be viewed in isolation, a society that tolerates cheating en masse is destined to failure. Cheaters NEVER win.

Share the voice of reason. Let us talk the talk, walk the walk, and be the leaders that our country needs!!!

Sorry if some view this as preaching but I, like many of you, am past the point of accepting the multiple corrosive aspects of our society that create a cesspool for our economy as a whole.

fiscalliberal

Larry – After watching MSNBC “House of Cards” last night, documenting the sub prime debacle, we need to add Wall Street and the Bankers along with the greedy “speculating homeowners” to your list.

More over – ideologues like Greenspan and Chris Cox were paid to regulate this and they didn’t. Untill we get rid of this idea that utopic unrealistic returns can be sustained, we will continue to have the problem.

So – do you think Wall Street and the Bankers realize the error of their actions?

By the way, I have just as much contempt for our government.
LD

For many on Wall Street they do realize and appreciate the errors of their ways but there are always plenty of “GREEDY” individuals who need to be exposed and rooted out.

Government has plenty of characters of the same ilk.

Regrettably our society has become inured to the entire crowd and the PC elements have looked down upon those who may otherwise have spoken up for decency and integrity.

ENOUGH!!
wodiej

LD, I commend you on an exemplary piece. You are right on the money. I have watched this decline for some time. Winning is everything regardless of how it is done. Having character and integrity…working hard and being responsible…having compassion and kindness for others….that is winning. These are not lessons for the old, they are for everyone. They are timeless and never go out of style.

Your description fits many of the people Obama has surrounded himself from the naive young all the way up to the Daschle’s who think they are above the rest of us. The fact that Obama’s young supporters continue to excuse this type of behavior as harmless, not serious, no big deal…is positive proof of your post. They have not been taught the value of honesty, responsibility and hard work. It will be to their demise.

It’s time for the adults to take back our country and O’s immaturity will assure that in 2010 if not sooner.
CG

Bravo!
Diana L. C.

Larry,

You should not forget cheating throughout our school system, from K through college: copying answers and plagiarizing papers, sharing answers, parents doing the work for their kids or hiring people to do it so the sweethearts can get high grades. This list is endless. I know part of the reason I retired early from teaching was the prevalent attitude that it was o.k. to do some of these things since the students viewed it as their right to “compete” to gain acceptance in the top schools.

The love of learning for learning’s sake has been totally destroyed.

wodiej

I agree. I am an adult professional studying for my Bachelors. I found out the roommate of a friend was attending the same school. She told me there is a group of them that exchange homework when one person has already taken a class. Said to let her know what classes I’d taken. I replied that was plagerism and I don’t do that. Besides I am adamant about earning everything I get. No response. This woman is in her mid 30′s at least.

Some people will do the right thing just because it’s the right thing to do and need no one watching them to do it. Others won’t. We have teachers, parents, school administration, government, athletes, company execs and many other adults showing no character, leadership etc themselves. How some of these people are allowed in mentoring positions is BEYOND MY COMPREHENSION.

I have no kids of my own. 7 yrs ago I got some new neighbors. They have a daughter who was 4 yrs old at the time-Brianna. I smoked. I adopted their dog and we became friends. Me and Brianna hit it off and she wanted to spend time w me. I did not want her to see me smoking, smell it on me or in the house. So I quit. It was a bad habit anyway but the point is, with leadership comes great responsibility. God placed this little person in my life to be a role model for. Kids absorb everything around them. So it doesn’t matter if they are relatives or just a friend-they look up to adults and emulate their behavior. As my mom always says, kids live what they learn.

tek

I went to law school for one semester. We had to attend all kinds of ethics workshops. After two weeks, almost all the students were cheating, sharing assignment, etc. It was disgusting.

lark

Government has no business in education, but they thought like Obama says today of government intervention in the economy, that the were the only solution. During more innocent times it worked fairly good but then the justice system through the judges intervened so poisonous in the educational system that no amount of discretion is allowed anymore. The little learning that happens, if someone wants to call learning what children learn in school, is plenty offset by the amount of vulgarity that is added in the mixture. Is just too much. Best thing is to keep importing the best brains that foreign countries can offer, no?

sunup

Good morning, My daughter teaches 5th grade.Each day she puts a “quote of the day” up and has the students discuss the meaning. These quotes, from famous people to the ordinary, take the form of caring , compassion, hard work, honesty etc. I often find them for her.Teaching is a busy job
It is amazing how quickly they “get” the meaning.Kids are surrounded with so much junk I think this is an excellent way to help form positive traits.

wodiej

excellent idea!! Good for you and your daughter for taking the time to actively be a positive reinforcement for kids. They need all they can get!
C.S.

I totally agree. And the old fashioned notion of instilling integrity by example and accountability wouldn’t hurt.

I still remember during the last election the video of that teacher who conducted a little politicking in her classroom registering her disapproval over the lone child saying she would vote for McCain-Palin. Even as she said the student has a right to vote for McCain-Palin, it was accompanied by a frown, an “oh dear” and other negative comments. You could visibly see that child shrinking as her teachers words and body language conveyed that she really didn’t have that right.

Your daughter is doing it right; I’d much rather a child of mine understand what Mother Theresa stood for, although I’m not Catholic, than to learn to admire someone who got where he/she is by backstabbing or greed. To paraphrase an old proverb: How we make the journey is more important than how the journey ends.
And right now, today, that is the most important lesson our Country has not been taught by example by those in the spotlight of power.
LD

AWESOME!!! I commend you and your daughter!! Those kids will remember those lessons!
Karma

Ripple of Hope –

“It is from numberless diverse acts of courage such as these that the belief that human history is thus shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.”

Robert F. Kennedy

Day of Affirmation Address at Cape Town University

~~~

Sunup….Great teachers stay with us for the rest of our lives. Anytime you are having a bad day you can reflect on what a positive impact both you and your daughter have had on so many…it is truly spreading a ‘ripple of hope’.

AngryWhitePerson

In my opinion, I think a lot of sports fans will be staying home in 2009….but not because they don’t want to patronize cheaters and greedy teams. It’s because they won’t have the cash! Or the credit lines, or the HELOCs they previously used to buy extravagant season tickets and overpriced nosebleed seats. Instead, these sports fans will be watching games in front of their giant flatscreens, one of the last items they bought before their credit ran dry.
wodiej

I’m not into alot of sports but I wouldn’t spend a dime for any games anyway w the rampant greed and cheating. Same w music business and movies. They can all sit on their greed and self righteousness and see if they can pay their bills w it.
getfitnow

Thanks LD!
Dave

Don’t you understand, NOBODY IS WILLING TO ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR ACTIONS !!!
Sassy

Thank you so much LD!
I agree with everything you have stated this morning!
I would add ministers, teachers, coaches, scout leaders and so many others to the list.
This is not an indictment of all, please understand, but when even one highly visible person betrays their standards of decency, it causes harm.
Those who try to walk the moral high-ground are fighting a forest fire with a paper towel, in today’s environment!
tek

Larry: I think Americans simply must acknowledge that the financial industry in this country–including banks and mortgage companies–are as culpable as anyone in this housing collapse and stop blaming individuals. BUSINESSWEEK has a great article up on Yahoo! explaining how the banks are at fault and how they still are not willing to accept any of the responsibility and take the necessary steps to correct the situation. Their lobbyists are, even at this moment, in Washington trying to prevent legislation that would allow judges to ameliorate mortgage payments that would keep people in their houses and halt the housing crisis. They want to get billions from the tax payers in bailout, but they don’t want average people to get any help.

Any way you slice it, banks are responsible. There is legislation on the books that holds banks responsible to not lend more money to consumers than they can afford to pay. That’s why there used to be background checks, but these toxic mortgages were granted to people with NO BACKGROUND CHECK whatsoever. Bush is culpable in all of this because he watered down the responsible legislation or rescinded it and he removed all the safeguards against economic Depression.

So, people can blame the average Americans and Bill Clinton all they want, but this is a bigger problem that is tied to the Bush administration and the banks. I am always amazed at people who say government isn’t the answer and all that stuff. Do those people ever wonder what is the purpose of having a government? People institute governments for purposes of protection–not just military–and provision. Otherwise, we’d be better off on our own than to empower a bunch of thieves in Washington. Either governments are going to regulate business and other policies, or we have anarchy.

http://www.facebook.com/people/Him-Yao-Sui/1332608330 HIM Yao Sui

I read your words and I completely agree. I wish that I could be a player in the whole matter and help our nation correct itself!
Sammie

The entire loan industry, from mortgages to car loans and even credit cards, has operated in a predatory fashion for years (even prior to Bush).

I don’t think I’ve ever been provided enough time to thoroughly read any of my mortgage or other loan paper work. And, some of the regulations that are intended to protect consumers, at least for home purchases, have lead to such a massive amount of paperwork, that it is difficult to know exactly what you’re agreeing to.

Personal responsibility is important and can’t entirely be overlooked. However, in truth, many individuals look to those helping them secure credit to advise them on what is proper. It seems as though the mortgage brokers and others should be held to a fiduciary standard. It shouldn’t be okay for someone with financial expertise to set an individual up with a loan that they suspect the individual won’t be able to repay.

Regardless of the regulations that are on the books, without proper oversight, the banks and others can essentially do whatever they want. I’m not sure if our current problems are due so much to a lack of regulation, as they are to a lack of oversight.

mountainaires

But cheaters do win.

And, right now, the biggest cheaters are winning. We have already lost, and it is too late to do anything about it–if there are not massive criminal prosecutions of the financial fraud.

The derivatives, the CDOs, the mortgage lenders, the top of the chains, the Cassanos and the Paulsons, and all the rest. If there is not criminal prosecution, our entire financial and economic house of cards falls, and we all will suffer shock and awe here in this country at the hands of our own government.

Want to see just how badly we were screwed? Must read; and don’t miss House of Cards on CNBC.

What Cooked the World’s Economy?
It wasn’t your overdue mortgage.
By James Lieber
published: January 28, 2009
http://www.villagevoice.com/content/printVersion/850296

LD

Mountainaires…..let’s collectively hold them accountable!!

Yes, I agree with you that there are many within the banking and finance industries that deserve to be held accountable as well. I include them within the business heading in my piece.

Mandelay

Larry, I’ve been reading on other sites that a man named Soros might have deliberately caused the financial meltdown in September. These sites claim that the Fed became alarmed as over $500 billion was sucked out of the markets. Can that be true? Or is this stuff just a bunch of “conspiracy” junk? The same sites claim that Soros crashed the Bank of England years ago. Can that be for real?

AlexisM

Mandelay….George Soros is the criminal POS who bought Obama the White House. Google him. Do you want to know how he made his Billions? He and his father would go into the homes of Jews in Germany who had been killed/gassed by Hitler, take all of their precious antiques, artifacts, etc. and auction them off. Isn’t that great?

Yes he trashed the UK economy and he’s made it his mission to destroy ours. There are very bad people who created the Obama puppet and they want their due. So whatever he does, he is beholden to people like Soros, not the people of America. But we can tell that already, right>

AlexisM

I posted this on another thread…but it’s directly related to the Soros question above. Everyone needs to take this seriously. This is not from some blogger. This is actually from someone in DC directly working on the cause to stop our demise. SHEEPLE WAKE UP.

PS. the column he is referring to is the Kathleen Parker on about Obama’s lack of experience.

I think this column captures the most generous thing you could
say about Obama — that he is unprepared for the crisis he is facing,
and experience does count. There are key people around him — mostly
Clinton people — who told us that they know the Geithner plan won’t
work, but they still won’t face the bigger problem, which is that the
whole system has blown out. Until they face this, they will stay with
some form of bailout, which will never work.

Does Obama know this? He may be learning it. Yesterday, his top
backer during the campaign, George Soros, told the Russian equivalent
of the Wall Street Journal, that the dollar will collapse, and we need
a new world currency. This is exactly what we warned was Soros goal
in backing Obama, to crash the dollar, and have Obama bring the U.S.
into support of a global currency. This would end national
sovereignty in the U.S.!

The good news is that Hillary strongly opposes this. That is why
Soros funded Obama, to keep Hillary out of the White House. Top
advisers to Obama such as Volcker, Reich, Laura Tyson and Rubin, also
oppose the Soros proposal. That is who we are talking to. Maybe they
can get through to Obama.

Hope your hard work is paying off in New York. Stay in touch.

Richard

I read a few articles about Soros and the financial crisis. Supposedly when the SEC banned short selling temporarily it was because Soros and a few of his billionaire friends were short selling. Someone claimed the stock market was about 500 trades away from financial armageddon when the ban was imposed. Unfortunately this is the only article I could find at the moment:

http://media.newsbusters.org/stories/cnns-crowley-obama-team-wanted-horrific-wall-street-headlines.html

Mandelay

Following up on what you’ve written here, AlexisM, I spent some time “googling” Mr. Soros. My jaw dropped open and I don’t know if it will ever close properly again. This guy is the real mystery man; he makes Obama look honest.

AlexisM

Mandelay…George Soros owns America and the Democratic Party. That’s just plainly and simply the truth. Period. He is a very disgusting slob who doesn’t even feel badly about how he and his father robbed those Jews of their belongings. It makes me puke. And Obama is 100% beholden to that asshole. That’s why this country will never recover. Never. The plan is to collapse us, globalize banks and the economy, and completely destroy us as a world power. Sad, huh?

Even on Saturday Night Live they had a skit about Soros owning this country and the Dems. Soros is so powerful that he managed to get every single video, youtube, etc. “scrubbed” of it and NBC got in big deep shit. He’s a scary guy and he’s going to ruin our country.

LD

Mandelay,,

George Soros is one of the world’s largest financiers. He has been intimately involved with the financing of MoveOn.org. He was a very vocal critic of George Bush.

He did profit tremendously at the collapse of the British pound back in the 90s and has been making a LOT of noise about the pending collapse of the Euro.

Where Mr. Soros’s financial positions end and political motivations begin is a very blurry line.

He is a very powerful man. Honestly I do not fully trust his motivations.

Mandelay

Thanks, Larry.

Mandelay

For anyone else interested in searching for George Soros, I googled the phrase “FBI investigates George Soros” and among the many articles with those words this one popped up. It’s from 2006, concerns the Mark Foley sexual misconduct scandal. But the names and organizatins that pop up within the article, and the references to George Soros, are quite interesting. BTW, I have never visited this “frontpagemag.com” site before so I have no idea where they’re coming from. I can decide if this is like peeling an onion or trying to shake hands with an octopus. In any event, I think it’s highly unlikely that George Soros could ever be a role model. Here’s that link:

http://frontpagemag.com/Articles/Read.aspx?GUID=D8843C2D-EC2A-4CC4-917A-C667A99E3755

mountainaires

I agree that we must have accountability, LD. And, I commend you for your column/post. Didn’t mean to imply anything else, but sheer outrage and stark fear on my part, at what has happened and what is happening behind the scenes, even now. I’ve become a complete cynic. We do have to hold them collectively accountable, and integrity is the ideal we should be upholding.

We still do not know the full truth, about any of it. We don’t know yet where the money’s gone; the banksters refuse to tell. That is simply unacceptable. Holding secret conference calls with Goldman Sachs? What’s up with that? It’s the lack of information that creates anxiety. You hold your collective breath, waiting for the next shoe to drop, and meanwhile, you’re watching your wallet.

http://247wallst.com/2009/02/13/banking-industry-has-not-run-low-on-surprises/
lark

the biggest cheaters are winning

let’s collectively hold them accountable

Pastors and priests who may be the biggest cheaters, and certainly always perform like they are winning, will collectively be held accountable by their fate and not by their faith.

Mandelay

For me, nothing is more telling than your need to say you’re “sorry” if some think what you wrote is “preaching,” when everything you’ve said is just down to earth true. These days, anyone who says this stuff usually has an “apology” similar to yours. It should not be necessary to apologize for telling it like it is.
Larry, we are “consumers” in this society and we feed off the glorification/condemnation of the entertainers, the athletes, etc. How many times are these people tried in the court of public opinion for their behavior while we are reminded they are “role models” for our children? Who made them role models?
Why do our children need famous strangers for role models? Why isn’t a good parent glorified? A good teacher? A good child? Why aren’t everyday people designated as “role models”? We don’t aspire to be “everyday,” we aspire to be rich or famous or both.
As consumers, we “buy” this stuff readily. And it sells — and we are even more mesmerized as more of this stuff is dished out to us, like a drug. But we are only watching, we are not doing. Example — if all the athletes (drug-taking or not) are supposed to be our role models, why is America so fat? Why are we talking about our “obesity” problems and why are fat-related diseases like Type 2 diabetes on the rise? Because the athletes let us down as our designated role models? A role model inspires. Our athletes do not inspire us to get in shape. The inspire us to watch them live the famous life and get our thrills as we continue to sit on our sofas or in our “home theaters.”
We also buy mocking humor. We can’t live without it. We don’t want to laugh unless a Tina Fey shreds a Sarah Palin. Bill Mahr, The Colbert Report, Jon Stewart, etc., they all live to make us feel good by tearing down everyone and everything. We justify it by saying that comics are holding up a mirror to help us see society, warts and all. But it’s vicious. And we need it apparently. We are addicted. How is that right? We don’t laugh with joy, we laugh to participate in tearing someone down, or tearing down their ideas.
We need words like “snark” to explain some of our writing. We attack … lest we are attacked. And we consume the feeling of “power” that comes with participating in this behavior.
But one thing has never changed … the “everyday” American people far outnumber the rich and famous. We can take control of this by simply not consuming. We can decide, on our own, to live with respect for each other and within our families. If we hear crap on the t.v. or radio, we can change the channel or just turn it off and listen to the thoughts inside our own heads. We can dream our own dreams, instead of devoting our spare time to watch someone achieve his or her dream of winning a gold medal, an oscar or a World Series.
Your post has great relevance and is important reading. And you know what? Maybe what we need is a good “preacher.” We’ve tried everything else. Keep preaching! And thank you.

lark

No, your post has great relevance and is important reading. Not LD’s.

LD

MANDELAY…THANKS …AND YOU KNOW WHAT, I’M NOT SORRY!!!!

Mandelay

Yay!!!!!!!

Peggy Sue

Thank you, Larry. Excellent essay. I agree. Until we demand standards in all facets of our lives, our society will continue to slip into the pit. Once upon a time, cheating brought shame to the cheater. But somewhere along the line, we were told shame [or having a moral compass] was bad, limiting, unnecessarily painful for the person singled out. Another hop, skip and jump and cheating is not only overlooked, it’s accepted because “everyone does it.”

In fact, I’ve had people say this to me: you’re an idiot; everyone does it–cheat in school, cheat on the job, cheat on your taxes, cheat in your marriage. No big deal.

Except it is.

Cheaters may win in the moment. But in the long haul they cannot sustain the win. So, I agree with you. And now, we’re seeing the sad result all around us.
sunup

Larry, what a great topic,and that so many agree with you gives me hope,Remember Edmund Burke’s quote, “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.”
Thanks everyone for the nice words,I’ll pass them along.

LD

The fight continues!!! Stay the course!!

pm317

The root cause of US economy in shambles today is Alan Greenspan..because he gave ~~cheaters~~/bankers a chance to cheat!
and how India’s economy is doing in these troubled times. (Maybe time for me to pack up and go.)
—————–
From http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=4643

One key reason is its tight regulation of banks and external capital transactions, largely the result of the sound management and foresight of one man: Yaga Venugopal Reddy, the former governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

Interestingly, India’s central bank lacks the independence from government that the Federal Reserve enjoys. It is administratively subservient to the Finance Ministry. Yet, by sheer force of his personality, Reddy, who served as RBI governor from 2003 until the end of his term in September 2008, successfully resisted government pressure to deregulate banks and hastily open India to external capital account transactions. In contrast to former U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan who believed in the fundamental integrity of market agents, Reddy is reported to have held the view that if bankers were given the opportunity to sin, they would.

The author says it well — Reddy is reported to have held the view that if bankers were given the opportunity to sin, they would, don’t you think?
goldengrahme

Oh, please…comparing A Rod, B.Bond to Madoff and
Ken Lay is a bigggg stretch, IMHO. This steroid “investigation” sting has been going on for years–began back in ’03 or ’04 if memory serves.

When there were many more pressing issues for Congress to pursue, then and now, many–me included–
determined the topic was just a diversion…a way for Congress to look concerned for the public welfare. I still think there is merit to that position.

We are a pill-popping, easily controlled pop culture of instant gratification me-toos. Know what I want?
I want to see Congress investigate their own
shortcomings, their own greed/self-promoting
inclinations.

Their own failures to use their good offices to check and balance big business and big money interests…why not sweep lobbyists out of
D.C., for beginners? Stop allowing the revolving door between vested interests and the people’s
government to be used as ingress to tax-payers
hard-earned cash vaults, i.e., the former chief at a large pharmaceutical conglomerate is often allowed to run the show for the FDA. Pitiful!

Now that is something I can cheer for. In the meantime, legalize street drugs and deny profit to
the real traffickers of hard narcotics. Then go
after those who produce steroids. Putting an asterik beside the ‘home run kings’ will not solve our race to the bottom.

Ladies and gentlemen of Congress: play ball!
Lead by example. Or go home.
mountainaires

Nancy Pelosi is a big fat liar. And, a big fat cheater.

http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=30697

Will the Stimulus Stimulate? Economists Say No.

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/227/story/62082.html

AlexisM

Nancy Pelosi’s picture should be hanging in every Post Office in this country with the caption “America’s Public Enemy Number One” underneath.

I hate her. Please let’s all work to impeach the Wicked Witch of the West.

Lisa Hinman

It just amazes me that Obama smoked pot and sniffed cocaine and nobody says anything. What kind of an influence is that on our young people? Yet a good athelete is pictured with a bong and we all jump on him and make sure we ruin his accomplishment.

AlexisM

Lisa, there have been lots of stories of parents finding their kids doing drugs and the kids say “well Obama did it.” You are right. I can’t even believe we are having a conversation that includes B-Crack and President in the same sentence. It’s appalling.

mountainaires

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Congress-kills-plan-to-apf-14346074.html

Cheaters.

LD

why did this happen?? the politicians know that Wall Street and hedge funds and private equity fill their coffers with contributions….”payola”

nancy sabet

Larry you are right about the state of our country. I wonder how we , the people, can tolorate the cheating, indecencies and corruption in our politics and don’t care about it to voice our outrage.
Mandelay

The “cheating, indecencies and corruption” mentioned in Nancy Sabet’s comment above make up only what we know — or think we know — of what’s happening in our country. I’m starting to get the feeling that it’s only the tip of a very foul iceberg. I don’t know if it would make a difference in the long term or even change “the way things work,” but yesterday, I finally broke through Wednesday’s day-long jam up of the phone lines of my two senators — Chuck “Little Porky” Schumer and Kristin “I was a Blue Dog Democrat But Now I Must Survive” Gillibrand. I gave the poor soul at the end of each phone line a piece of my mind about some of the “stuff” in the stimulus package. But what really amazed me was the phone-line jam up on Wednesday. Many, many people like us were calling and I don’t think they were calling to make happy talk with Chuck and Kirstin. It must have given them a scare. If it happens again, and keeps happening every time they want to make a move that benefits them more than us, we might have a chance to take back the country.
It could work in reverse with regard to baseball. Instead of showing up at the ballpark, packing the place and buying up all those $5.00 hot dogs, as we scream nasty words at players who take/are suspected of taking drugs, what happens if we just don’t show up? No ticket sales. No concession sales. Hey! No beer! No revenue.
We have more power than we think. We lack confidence, perhaps!
ChooChooMagoo

Great post LD.

It needed saying. It may have to be repeated regularly and forcefully. But ya got to start somewhere. Well done.
lark

In my opinion, I believe both of these individuals are representative of a society that has become far too lax in tolerating a lack of decency and integrity. This is not good business!!

Finally something I can agree with you about. And I like where you directly link morality with business. From here a lot more could be built.

The greatness of our country is in its diversity… I believe we are paying the price for the long term erosion of a set of core values founded on decency and integrity.

I am glad you see it that way. Today I saw a black man walking with his hands under his pants, presumably holding his penis, naturally walking his way around. Not the first time I see that. Dumbfounded, what I just said has nothing to do with the subject at hand.

Where do we see this erosion? I guess the question could be posed as, where don’t we see it?

^

by changing the nature of the dialogue, we can change the nature of our business and economy

What? I am glad I can say maybe I have had a minuscule influence in your thinking. Nah!

a society that tolerates cheating en masse is destined to failure

Sorry if some view this as preaching but I, like many of you, am past the point of accepting the multiple corrosive aspects of our society that create a cesspool for our economy as a whole.

Applause!

The biggest threat to what you just said today coming from the new WH administration is the new office of Faith and Community Partnership. When minority pastors and preachers get hooked on the money supply that will be there for their taking, what is bad and stinking today will become so putrid and decrepit that crying will simply not do the job.

Separation of church and state in the Constitution says something, but it really meant something else. One the other hand, Christ did asked his disciples, I said his disciples, to separate themselves from the influence of money. Too bad many of them couldn’t.
lark

LD, since it seems you are trying to understand not only what went wrong but how to fix it, then I will humbly give you a hint or a way to find out. You will find out when you can explain why rental fees or rental rates go up in apartment complexes. How is it that rent increases happen or why? It is moral? Is it correct?

And the final question, can capitalism exists at the same time that certain provision be mandated and enforced so that the capitalization of apartment complexes and rental property be so much bounded by the actual purpose of the industry, that such immoral behavior from those who delve in that industry is subdued to the point that it is actually a privilege to own such types of properties? No I am not talking about rent controls. I am talking about capitalization controls.

Mandelay

I live in NYC and the average “rent” is now $3,000/month. New “housing” always turns out to be luxury apartments. How can working people afford to live in the city? People like me who grew up in NYC have been driven out for the last 30 years. Pretty soon the powers that be will keep us working people on barges out on the river, ferried over each morning to serve the luxury apartment dwellers and then ferried off to the barges to keep the luxury apartment dwellers from too much exposure to real people. It’s true. Every mayor since I was born had a portrait of Fiorello LaGuardia in his office. And every mayor since I was born has crawled into bed with the real estate lobby. Heavy contributions to both parties ensure the ever-disappearing number of affordable rental units. So much greed.

cynic

Good article.

It’s all a matter of what we’re brought up to value, isn’t it?

If we’re brought up to understand that worth resides in character, we easily see that cheaters are losers, even when surrounded by symbols of success. We see the emptiness hiding behind the trophy collection. If we’ve slipped sometime and gained through theft or a lie, we look back on the moment with shame and know we were diminished by the error. Anything so gained lacks luster.

If we’re not brought up that way, we’ll probably envy a cheater for his trophies and conclude that cheaters win frequently. We might conclude that the key to success lies in getting the goods and not getting caught. We’ll only recognize our own emptiness as an inexplicable hunger for the trophies we lack.

It seems like there are a lot more people in that second category than there used to be. Our society just doesn’t seem to be transmitting the right messages anymore. Most messages seem to be about the virtue of getting the goods.
ripalinsky

Cheaters never win? Yes they do. Yes, they have, and now control the nation.

LD

The game is not over.

cathnealon

I always remember from my college days the contention by either Dostoevsky or Nietschze–”if there is no God then anything is allowed.” Well, there must be alot of people raising their kids and behaving as if there is no God. I used this to raise my five children, whenever they seemed to be going down the wrong path or being unkind to someone I asked them “if there is a God and the ultimate consequence of heaven or hell where do you think that behavior will lead?” It always seemed to stop them in their tracks. And more than that we tried not to engage in behavior that we were asking them not to engage in. So there is a problem in this country and BO’s mass appeal must be tapping into this lack of guidance experienced by so many these past 2 or 3 decades.