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Secret and Lies of the Bailout

By Patrick   Follow   Sun, 6 Jan 2013, 6:08pm   733 views   13 comments
In Menlo Park CA 94025   Watch (0)   Share   Quote   Permalink   Like   Dislike  

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/secret-and-lies-of-the-bailout-20130104?print=true

Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson, committed $700 billion in taxpayer money to rescue Wall Street from its own chicanery and greed. To listen to the bankers and their allies in Washington tell it, you'd think the bailout was the best thing to hit the American economy since the invention of the assembly line. Not only did it prevent another Great Depression, we've been told, but the money has all been paid back, and the government even made a profit. No harm, no foul – right? Wrong. It was all a lie – one of the biggest and most elaborate falsehoods ever...

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1. The Professor Follow Befriend (5) 25 threads 1,324 comments Premium

   1   9:02pm Sun 6 Jan 2013   Share   Quote   Permalink   Like   Dislike   Can anyone say that the banks are not criminal?

2. Kevin Follow Befriend 40 threads 2,652 comments

   2   9:24pm Sun 6 Jan 2013   Share   Quote   Permalink   Like (1)   Dislike   The Professor says Can anyone say that the banks are not criminal? Courts.

3. The Professor Follow Befriend (5) 25 threads 1,324 comments Premium

   3   9:35pm Sun 6 Jan 2013   Share   Quote   Permalink   Like (1)   Dislike   Kevin says The Professor says Can anyone say that the banks are not criminal? Courts. All the way to the supreme court which consist solely of Harvard and Yale graduates. Though they occasionally sacrifice a scapegoat, the oligarchy takes care of their own.

4. Kevin Follow Befriend 40 threads 2,652 comments

   4   9:44pm Sun 6 Jan 2013   Share   Quote   Permalink   Like   Dislike   Just because something is immoral and despicable doesn't make it illegal. We should be outraged that we haven't made laws making what happened here illegal in the first place (i.e. the real wall street reform that Senator Warren wanted), but instead we're doing exactly what wall street wants: bemoaning how evil what they did was.

5. The Professor Follow Befriend (5) 25 threads 1,324 comments Premium

   5   9:47pm Sun 6 Jan 2013   Share   Quote   Permalink   Like   Dislike   Kevin says Just because something is immoral and despicable doesn't make it illegal. Sounds like what the lawyers would say IF the bankers were ever indicted.

6. mell Follow Befriend (5) 74 threads 1,406 comments Premium

   6   9:54pm Sun 6 Jan 2013   Share   Quote   Permalink   Like (1)   Dislike   Kevin says Just because something is immoral and despicable doesn't make it illegal. We should be outraged that we haven't made laws making what happened here illegal in the first place (i.e. the real wall street reform that Senator Warren wanted), but instead we're doing exactly what wall street wants: bemoaning how evil what they did was. There were plenty of crimes, no new regulations needed - just apply the rule of law and you could arrest thousands of banksters and politicians. Peddling and selling junk to investors - knowing that it's crap - while betting against them is blatantly illegal. Defrauding customer funds north of 500 million is illegal. Not to mention the war-crimes of the current and former administrations. This has turned into a banana republic a long time ago. On that note, the EUrisotcracy (or EUSSR) isn't really much better. Good times ;)

7. Kevin Follow Befriend 40 threads 2,652 comments

   7   10:24pm Sun 6 Jan 2013   Share   Quote   Permalink   Like   Dislike   mell says Kevin says Just because something is immoral and despicable doesn't make it illegal. We should be outraged that we haven't made laws making what happened here illegal in the first place (i.e. the real wall street reform that Senator Warren wanted), but instead we're doing exactly what wall street wants: bemoaning how evil what they did was. There were plenty of crimes, no new regulations needed - just apply the rule of law and you could arrest thousands of banksters and politicians. Peddling and selling junk to investors - knowing that it's crap - while betting against them is blatantly illegal. Defrauding customer funds north of 500 million is illegal. Not to mention the war-crimes of the current and former administrations. This has turned into a banana republic a long time ago. On that note, the EUrisotcracy (or EUSSR) isn't really much better. Good times ;) You haven't actually listed anything that is illegal. Which law was broken and by whom? If you're so sure it happened, it shouldn't be hard to identify one. Large publicly traded companies have many, many lawyers. They are always sure to try to do things that are technically legal, even if they shouldn't be. The frequency of Bernie Madoffs is incredibly low. I can list off the top of my head 3 common corporate practices that should be illegal, but aren't.

8. JodyChunder Follow Befriend (3) 21 threads 1,530 comments Victorville, CA Premium

   8   1:35am Mon 7 Jan 2013   Share   Quote   Permalink   Like (5)   Dislike   Kevin says Just because something is immoral and despicable doesn't make it illegal. Oh shit. The just-because-it's-unethical-doesn't-mean-it's-illegal-meme just won't die. Kevin, I bet you're a big David Brooks fan. Off the top of my tired head: insider trading; robosigning; corrupt accounting (RE: Repo 105 abuses); FOA; and most recently, money laundering on a massive scale. If you wanted to make the argument that *criminal intent* would be tough to prove, you might have a point, but there's no question that massive criminal fraud was committed by Wall St. with what has turned out to be relative impunity. Suggesting otherwise is just preposterous.

9. tatupu70 Follow Befriend (3) 15 threads 5,718 comments

   9   4:52am Mon 7 Jan 2013   Share   Quote   Permalink   Like   Dislike   mell says Peddling and selling junk to investors - knowing that it's crap - while betting against them is blatantly illegal. Why? Junk bonds are sold all the time--as long as the risks are outlined there's no crime.

10. mell Follow Befriend (5) 74 threads 1,406 comments Premium

    10   9:29am Mon 7 Jan 2013   Share   Quote   Permalink   Like   Dislike   tatupu70 says mell says Peddling and selling junk to investors - knowing that it's crap - while betting against them is blatantly illegal. Why? Junk bonds are sold all the time--as long as the risks are outlined there's no crime. True if they were sold as junk bonds But those were AAA bonds sold as super-safe investments while they were circulating internal emails about how they got rid of this "crap" If you start selling junky goods marketed as in perfect condition and they can prove that you know about their junk condition (emails. witness etc.) you'll find yourself in jail in no-time. Even if you have some sort of report that states the good is in great condition (equivalent to the rating agency fraudsters they try to hide behind) you will still go to jail if you KNEW about the actual junk state of the good you peddled.

11. Goran_K Follow Befriend (4) 26 threads 1,566 comments Laguna Beach, CA Premium

    11   12:10pm Mon 7 Jan 2013   Share   Quote   Permalink   Like (1)   Dislike   mell says True if they were sold as junk bonds But those were AAA bonds sold as super-safe investments while they were circulating internal emails about how they got rid of this "crap" I have tatupu on ignore, but it's funny that he fails to acknowledge that the most toxic MBS and CDOs were given AAA ratings and ultimately lead to billions of dollars in write-downs and losses. I mean, this has been a thorn in the U.S economy for nearly a decade. Credit ratings are a complete myth.

12. donjumpsuit Follow Befriend 16 threads 492 comments

    12   12:41pm Mon 7 Jan 2013   Share   Quote   Permalink   Like   Dislike   Up with profits! Down with Morals! It shouldn't be a crime, if it involves making money!~ Losses can be tax write-offs anyway. amirite? amirite?

13. uomo_senza_nome Follow Befriend (13) 787 threads 1,542 comments

    13   12:47pm Mon 7 Jan 2013   Share   Quote   Permalink   Like (2)   Dislike   Kevin, JodyChunder has a fair point. For your reading pleasure: http://jessescrossroadscafe.blogspot.com/2012/12/hsbc-criminal-activity-above-law.html The problem is that the private entities have captured the regulatory system itself.