Andy Stern: Goldman Sachs 'Worships No God But The Almighty Dollar' (VIDEO)

Protesters rallied outside of Goldman Sachs' Washington office office Monday and railed against big bonuses and "Too Big To Fail" banks. The SEIU and Public Citizen, a non-profit public interest group, organized the demonstration. The protesters delivered a letter demanding Goldman use its bonus money to help struggling families.

"Today we call on Goldman Sachs to take all of the $23 billion we earned for them and put it aside in a pool for people...who lost their homes," said SEIU president Andy Stern to a crowd of about 200 people. "And that $23 billion -- if you can believe it -- would save every single American next year from losing their home."

Stern and Public Citizen's Robert Weissman said that Goldman helped to inflate the housing bubble, then abandoned the American people when the bubble burst. "You don't go to Wall Street to do God's work," said Weissman, referring to a recent remark by Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein. "You go to Wall Street to make money."

"They seem to love their company more than they love our country," said Stern, "Goldman Sachs salutes no flag but their own corporate logo. They worship no God but the almighty dollar."

"I think Goldman is realizing that the American people are outraged that they care more about their company than their country," Stern told the Huffington Post, "and I hope that over time they're going to make a different set of decisions than what they've made so far."

Concurrently with the rally, Public Citizen released a report saying the financial industry had given an average of $159,032 to the campaign committees of members of the House and Senate financial regulatory committees.

Comments

[Stop Wall Street]

Once again, Obama fails to make progress with anything. All this traveling is a waste of tax payer dollars and never brings any resolution. We need less free trade and more manufacturing in America.

hat tip to http://financeopinionss.blogspot.com
Meanwhile, wall street makes record revenues and profits while unemployment shows no signs of abating. What a joke.

[jerichoj8]

Wrong Andy, they burst the bubble to cash in on Credit Default Insurance Fraud.

[nThenwhat]

Please Remember:
Warren Buffett = Goldman Sachs
Goldman Sachs = Warren Buffett
Berkshire Hathaway is the largest shareholder of GS.
Buffett could make GS heel with one phone call, but prefers to wave pom poms
The oracle sleeps soundly in Omaha and laughs it up on Charlie Rose, while his henchmen run rough shod over the public. Buffett is splitting Berkshire one for fifty and getting it listed on the S&P b/c he knows that people are catching on to his antics and he hopes to avoid the backlash by broadening ownership.
Wake Up ! Doing God's work? NO. As their largest shareholder, by law, they're doing Buffett's work and calling him God.

[oldguydude]

These people should be outside the Treasury Dept. protesting there as well. Tim G. has enabled this GS situation through either complicity or ineptness.

Timmy G. is just as much to blame as the people at Goldman Sachs.

[sonofsamphm1c]

The pitchforkers who cannot pitchfork straight

That's your 2nd miss

Only one stab in the dark left

[oldguydude]

I assume you have a point, but evidently the art of debate evades you.

If you think you can articulate a cogent reply, please enlighten us. Otherwise, just dither and drool on your way.

[tuberider]

They'll be throwing toppins to the peasants shortly as the heat intensifies. It'll get pathetic: Maybe 2 cents on the dollar...W­e'll lap it up as we can, ever avoiding the truth of our circumstance.

[yourmonscalling]

This company shows what kind of GREED and people work there and REMEMBER OUR GOVERNMENT BAILED THIS COMPANY AND OTHER GIGANTIC FIRMS OUT WITH OUR MONEY WHY????

CORRUPTION MY FRIENDS THE SOONER YOU SEE IT THE BETTER OFF YOU WILL BE
WE SHOULDN'T BE BAILING OUT THESE FIRMS THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN LET TO FAIL !!!!

END THE FED (AUDIT THEM AND FIND OUT HOW CORRUPT IT IS) when you find out just how the fed got started you will see why i say this its very clear >don't believe me !! whatch the videos on this page and then make your ow desision !!!

http://logisticsmonster.com/the-fed/

ELECTION DAY IS COMINg

[Peter Noble 2]

Protesting is good. The sad thing is protesting in a Republic owned and run by the bankers will not lead to change: we need to buy rope and find us a tree.

[SangZe]

The government is at the seat of the greed that has destroyed the U.S. Since our elected officials have not responded significantly to the problems which are killing us and our children, our only recourse is to toss the lot of them out. Jumping up and down in front of some business office is meaningless, producing nothing in the way of change. We have a chance next year (oh, yes, another fat chance) to bring about change, but I doubt anything significant will come of any election in this country. It's already been tried with little tangible success.

[ebanks84]

Yes, it would be great for all Americans to receive their share of that misuse of funds. This group is one way to start on that road of injustice experienced by the people. I agree with you and thanks for doing the math :)

[ebanks84]

Just heard on MSNBC that the health companies are spending over a million dollars PER DAY to lobby our legislators. And, that over 20 million will be spent on advertising by the health companies on commercials AGAINST healthcare.

What a WASTE of money, time, and resources to try to make us MORE IGNORANT! WAKE UP PEOPLE and start telling these !d!ots that their money CAN'T BUY OUR LOVE!

The more we march on the HEALTH COMPANIES, the more they will HAVE TO NOTICE US. The next big march should be on AETNA, CIGNA, and every huge health monopoly in the country. We need to be at their work place, outside of their buildings, irritating the he// out of them the same way they are irritating the he// out of us.

Payback is a smitch....­and I'm sure you know what I mean! Let's give them every bit of what they're dishing out to us.

[pammygamherst]

until there is true campaign finance reform nothing is going to change as the republicans and democrats are one and the same.

what we need is a viable third party such as a progressive party who stands for the people and have a candidate from said party run for each seat in congress and ultimately the white house.

until we get these bums out of office nothing is ever, ever going to change. i don't even know why lobbyists are allowed to rub elbows with the politician­s....they all share the same bed...i tell you, the lincoln bedroom in the white house must be getting awful crowded.

[ebanks84]

Campaign finance reform I totally agree with. The repubs and dems being the same is totally untrue because one is the party of NO and the other (most anyway) is the party of YES WE CAN!

Agree that we need to get the LOSERS out of office. DEFINITELY!

[ebanks84]

This is so impressive I must say. The people are FINALLY speaking to the ones who have truly affected their lives and country. This is taking it to the real problem makers of our country. This is grass roots America and exactly what all people need to do to make corporate America face reality and face the people.

I approve of this action wholeheartedly and wish the teabaggers would wake up and see the real cause of our problems is NOT Barack Obama. It's corporate America and like they are saying THE LOVE OF MONEY!

THIS IS AMERICA AT ITS BEST!

[Emerald1943]

While I agree with you, these demonstrations are not going to make a hill of beans' difference. Do these people think that the fat cats at Goldman care about their signs and rallies? They don't have to walk through the demonstrat­ors...they just land their helicopters on top of the building and avoid the crowds.

Until we get SWEEPING CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM, we will see no meaningful legislation that truly benefits the American people over the big corporations. The big corporations are simply doing what they do best...mak­e large piles of money. The problem is with our corrupt Congress that takes their money in exchange for very lax regulation!

[hellinahandcart]

Emerald, while I completely and totally agree w/ you about Campaign Finance Reform-- it's been my rant for years-- I don't know that I think these demonstrations are meaningless. I would hope that they embolden more and more people to do so, until EVERYONE in America feels empowered enough to get together for... a massive march on Congress for
Campaign Finance Reform!

[Baltotoast]

What meaningless action. They should be at the steps of congress pressing for reform, not wasting there time at GS.

We have had a problem with the love of money for a long time - remember that issue with the money changers and the temple? That ain't going to change.

This like taking aspirin for a brain tumor - go after the problem, not the symptom. Get some REAL reform going. And that will only happen by lobbying congress.

[ebanks84]

Lobbying congress IS OUR PROBLEM. To change congress, we must VOTE THEM OUT if we want to make change happen. Letting corporate America know they are the cause of America's demise is EXACTLY what we need to be doing.

This is letting our government and legislators know how we feel about what they are doing to keep these corporate crooks more powerful than the wishes of the PEOPLE. If this don't wake the legislators up to the reality of this country, then they WILL AND SHOULD BE DETHRONED FROM THEIR GOVERNMENT SOFT POSITIONS!

[Emerald1943]

Lobbying Congress? I agree with you completely in principle, BUT....we, the people, have a snowball's chance in h3// of getting anyone up there to listen to us. The professional lobbyists literally stand in line in the hallways at the Capitol. I read an article here on HP not too long ago that said the lobbyists actually hired homeless people to stand in line for them.

Meanwhile, we stand on the steps outside with our little signs and banners, hoping that somebody up there will pay attention. We write letters, send emails, make phone calls, and fax on the issues of the day....and it makes absolutely NO difference. Congress will do as it's paymasters demand...a­nd to h3// with the American people!

[jojony]

A complete waste of time. Do these folks really think they will accomplish anything?

Andy Strearn, the head of SEIU has been in the Oval Office 22 times since Obama has been elected and he isnt even listening.

Folks, just give it up already.

I'm with ya but your strategy isnt working.

[ebanks84]

Whose side are you on in this fight? It seems to me that you are talking for the enemy here, which is corporate america. These people are the smartest "grass roots" group I've seen all year. This is where the action should be taken. All that other crap that's been going on was just a show to rally the republican way of thinking, that's all. Nobody benefitted from it but those who think like you.

[patsydecline]

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=19506317

[Ranta]

This is where the tea party belongs. Goldman exec's should have to wade through an irate mob to get to work each day.

[TheShadow]

Exactly. Enough of these phoney, baloney astro-turf "Tea Baggers" who are backed and supported by those corporate interests that are the real problem in this country.

Wake up America, and smell the stench of use and abuse of it's citizens, namely, "We, The People".

[Icantbelieveher]

I agree 100%! I've always said that these phony "C h ris tians" worship at the altar of the almighty dollar -- and you can't serve two G od s!

The democrats had better wake up! I got a survey from the DNC that they won't be all that happy to get back! I included copies of my credit card company letters raising the rates on my credit cards to 29.99%, even though I've never been late -- a result of the wonderful credit card reform that made things worse for the American people!

On the back of the survey, there was a place where you could donate to the DNC! I told them to go to the corporations and banks for their campaign contributions, because that's who they work for! They sure aren't working for the American people, because they've done their best to water down everything that has passed through the senate since they got the majority!

When they start being there for the people, the people will be there for them! Until then my vote won't be for any democrat who votes for watered down drivel that favors corporations! I'll be voting for the most progressive democrat in any primary!

[Nicholas Roy]

God Yes! Fanned. In essence the Tea-Party protesters are angry at the same things we all are (high un-employment, resession.­.ect...ect­). Their anger has simply been direcred against the wrong targets. Its a shame they're so easily manipulated by the very people who in the end are exploiting and robbing them.

[ebanks84]

Excellent point and so true. My thoughts exactly. The teabaggers should regroup and do exactly what these great Americans are doing. This is how we get CHANGE that matters. I only wish I was physically able to be there myself. The Creator is pleased that we have finally focused on the REAL problems of Americans.

[keepyourheaddown*]

GOT HOPE???
The insurance companies, Big Pharma, and the Banks have plenty of hope...

How about you America? Still think your living in a Democracy???

They couldn't care less about you...

What a effn joke this government is...

So go ahead and vote, yeah, you do that and then the congress will do what they please...

WAKE UP PEOPLE YOUR GOVERNMENT SELLS TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER!!!

[ebanks84]

That's why we need new government legislators who are NOT bought to give their opinions and votes. We need more people who will demonstrate at the INSURANCE COMPANIES who are ripping our lives apart at the seams, BANKS who are stealing our lives daily to put in their overstacked pockets, and THE LEGISLATORS who are in office right now holding back America's progress for their own personal selfish needs.

Regroup America and let's get it right this time. Let's stop listening to the rightwing selfish lug-nuts and do what is best for US not them.

[Emerald1943]

And how do you choose a candidate who is not going to succumb to the money when he/she gets to Washington? It looks like they ALL are corrupt with only one or two exceptions.