Long gone are the days of delusion in which financial gurus
and political pundits thought that the economic problems faced by America could
be swept under the carpet. For this reason, it becomes redundant to discuss the
details of the current financial turmoil.
If one is interested in the details and consequences of the
excesses of the last few years, I highly recommend commentary by Nouriel
Rubini. When it comes to economics, he has bulls-eye precision on what has
happened and is happening. I am fairly certain his predictions will not be far
from the mark when it comes to understanding the consequences we are all
facing. Having Roubini�s financial insights readily available, allows me to
focus on other issues, which economists are not talking about and are of
critical importance to the average taxpayer.
As the bailout of Wall Street is debated in the U.S.
Congress, and world political leaders and global financial analysts, are all
excited about what will ultimately save us from an �economic Pearl Harbor,�
will prevent a �financial Tsunami,� or the repeat of the Great Depression, I am
surprised that no CEO has yet been arrested. I am amazed and perplexed; obviously
the question has not been framed properly.
I will refrain from calling upon the citizens of the United
States to do something about this, because the concept of citizenship has
become so perverse over time, that in this �Democratic Capitalism� we are no
longer truly citizens, we are voters, taxpayers, consumers, producers,
employers or employees. So I chose to call on the taxpayers, after all, it is
they who are going to save the very rich, so that the very poor will perhaps
have a chance of keeping their homes, pensions or jobs.
I call on the taxpayers to think very seriously about what
is happening with their future, about how a few greedy people stole some of it
from them, and not having enough, want to steal the rest. I urge the U.S.
taxpayer to reflect seriously about the moves which are being carried out in
Washington to bailout the thieves who created the mess. There is no morality in
it, and certainly no coherent justification. At least not the way the issue is
being framed.
If private institutions are requiring money from the
taxpayer because their mismanagement is putting the whole economy under risk of
collapse, then the bailout should be reframed and converted into the $700
billion bail. The taxpayer should demand that every CEO who requires money from
the government be locked up and only released on a bail of $700 billion
dollars. Otherwise it is just a blatant joke and an insult to the elementary
functioning of a democratic society.
People are being urged by their government to approve legislation,
which will ultimately allow the same people who created the mess, to have a
blank check to play with the future of the American people. The same people,
who until only a few weeks ago were certain that the fundamentals of the
economy were solid, are now rushing to ask for funds. They either lied or they
had no clue about what was happening. Either way, it would be wise to remove
them from their posts before any decisions are made. Maybe Nouriel Rubini
should be called up to become chairman of the Fed or treasury secretary, after
all he has been one of the few voices making correct calls on events as they
have unfolded. Surely, the American people deserve someone with a successful
track record, making the calls on the future of their very fragile economy.
There seems to be in this society a rejection of simplicity.
If it isn�t fancy enough, we want complicated mechanisms and complicated people
telling us how things should be done. To a certain extent, I can understand how
that can impress the simplest of minds, but at some point, when the complicated
mechanisms and the complicated people have proved to be wrong, they must be
removed from positions in which they can cause greater harm. Yet, simplicity
always finds a hard sell when it comes to telling people what would seem like
coherent first steps.
Here are a few steps which would convert the taxpayer
bailout into bail for the prison sentence of irresponsible CEOs. This will at
the very least guarantee the safety of the American people, and the restoration
of their tarnished democratic ideal. Yes, I am in agreement with policy makers
and financial analysts about the fact that legislation has to be approved fast,
in order to avoid the complete meltdown of the economic system. However, if
those responsible truly agree with this view, they should patriotically accept
the demands of the taxpayer. The demands of the taxpayer, as manifestations
against the bailout, should state the following preconditions to any agreement:
- Impeachment of George W.
Bush for lying about the fundamentals of the economy.
- Ben Bernanke�s immediate
removal from his post as chairman of the Board of Governors of the United
States Federal Reserve for lying about the fundamentals of the economy.
- Henry Paulson�s immediate
removal from his post as the United States Treasury Secretary and member
of the International Monetary Fund Board of Governors for lying about the
fundamentals of the economy.
- Immediate arrest of the
CEO and CFO of any organization asking for funds from the taxpayer. Bail
should be set at $700 billion. Once the markets have stabilized, trials
can proceed to determine the guilt or innocence of individuals.
- Immediate return of
bonuses by management teams in distressed institutions asking for taxpayer
funds.
- Immediate cancellation of
the mortgages of American families owning only one home.
These preconditions
might sound harsh, but we are talking about a rushed document, which is the
biggest bailout in the history of the world. The last rushed decision of this
magnitude created the mess in Iraq. Hopefully, this time around the U.S.
taxpayer, after having experienced the harsh consequences of rushed decisions,
will be smarter. The difference this time around, is that instead of shooting
Iraqis, the Americans are about to shoot themselves in the foot. I do feel for
the majority of the American people, who frankly have no clue about what is
happening to their cherished country, but apart from writing to them, there is
nothing much one can do.
The blatant
lies of their elites continue to destory the little crumbs that are still left
of what was once the �Great American Dream� and has now become the �Great
American Nightmare.� Faced with this scenario, setting bail at $700 billion
seems completely reasonable to me.
Pablo Ouziel is a
sociologist and freelance write based in Spain.