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Dylan Ratigan

Dylan Ratigan

Posted: April 19, 2010 01:31 PM

A Patriot's Day Call to Arms

What's Your Reaction:

This letter is a call to (electronic) arms on Patriots' Day.

Mr. President, please show the American people the AIG emails.

In the wake of the disclosures associated with Friday's government fraud accusations against Goldman, Sachs & Co., one of our nation's wealthiest, largest and most politically well-connected banks, it is inexcusable the U.S. government still refuses to release the thousands of emails that exist between AIG and Goldman Sachs.

Unlike the Icelandic volcano, this was no natural disaster. Trillions of dollars have been defrauded from the U.S. taxpayer by a banking scam run by the top 1% of our country.

The mark for this con game has been and continues to be every teacher, cop, firefighter, nurse, conservative saver, small investor, student and retiree. People whose pensions, homes, jobs and monthly retirement stipends have been and continue to be deprived -- so these people can use our government to transfer money from your work to themselves.

We also know that the same people responsible for this failed system are STILL RUNNING IT, leaving obvious conflicts of interest everywhere you turn.

But the American people still have one tremendous ally in not letting them get away with the fraud -- a SEC law that forces these companies to keep records of all of their communications coupled with the most sophisticated, extraordinary ability to use 21st century technology to quickly harvest relevant information out of billions of pieces of data.

And even by barely scratching the surface, this is what we already find:

A Goldman Sachs vice president accused of fraud, writing "more and more leverage in the system, The whole building is about to collapse anytime now..."

An S&P ratings agent saying "Let's hope we are all wealthy and retired by the time this house of cards falters."

Our government is in a position to grant access to a vast pool of information that could answer so many questions about why all our money was taken. But flush with money from these potentially fraudulent institutions, politicians have systematically gutted the very people charged with investigating these crimes.

As a final insult, they provide 23.7 trillion in direct and implied support for these bankers to keep bonusing themselves billions, yet offer a paltry 0.0000003% of that amount to investigate how this incredibly un-American event happened in the first place.

To add insult to injury, we the people now OWN the company at the center of much of the alleged fraud. Currently, you, the U.S. taxpayer, own 80 percent of AIG and there are now 5 people who represent us as trustees at the company.

Please Mr. President,

Show the American people the AIG emails. Many are suffering, our young are without work, our middle class is stuck in houses they can't sell, making it impossible to move to new jobs for the future of our country, and our retirees who, at their most vulnerable, find the custodians of their life savings as either crooks or suckers for the bankster scams.

As our president, you are in charge of AIG. That means that without even a court order, the American people can see every email and it is long past due for you to release those 10 years of AIG emails to the people.

Today, in honor of our ongoing fight against tyranny, let's send a plea to all our elected officials, Treasury Secretary and president to fulfill their custodial obligation to those they represent and show the American people the AIG emails.

And just to prove a point, look into your old email files and find some innocuous email from the past 10 years to attach to the bottom... perhaps if we show them ours, they will show us theirs.

Here is how to do it:

Your Representative http://www.house.gov/

Your Senator http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner

President Barack Obama

 

Follow Dylan Ratigan on Twitter: www.twitter.com/DylanRatigan

 
 
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guveqzero
Inventor and Innovator
03:29 PM on 04/21/2010
Unfortunately, transparency in our country would be considered to cause citizens to lose faith in our financial system, as if there is any significant faith left. For the top 10% of workers in the US taking 50% of all income, there is certainly trouble ahead. The biggest proponent for socialism are these 10%; they actually believe the system is sustainable today using legal practices and local police.

To put out the flames, the government has focused on health insurance reform, financial reform, gun law reform and illegal immigration enforcement. But, where is the jobs bill everybody is expecting? DOA? The people have been lost in the shuffle.
09:23 AM on 04/21/2010
Now I see why the Russian and French revolutions happened.
06:16 PM on 04/20/2010
Dylan will at least post the names of those in Congress that what some real financial reform and justice for the people, and those that just blow smoke up the voters.......... you know what.
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plumnelly
02:24 PM on 04/20/2010
Thank you Dylan for keeping the pressure on so we can put pressure on our elected officals and let them know we've had enough of their corruption. Just like the guys at Enron who laughed at the pain they were causing grandmas not able to pay energy bills these sciopaths intentionally designed fraudulent schemes that has caused millions of Americans hardship and pain

These guys are financial terrorists and their actions are treasonous to our country. They wiped out our country's financial underpinnings intentionally and they've bragged about making a killing before it blew up. It's blatantly corrupt and unless we get those e-mails people won't trust our country's financial system ever again, period.
Ifeomamn
When MSM report Facts, USA thrives.
12:51 PM on 04/20/2010
Dylan, I hope you get to read my post. Your antics is not always fair. You disrespect Debbie W.Schultz. You apologized. Too little too late. Not the first time. You rail on the Obama team as Scarborough, with very little facts. It is always with the BOTH sides do it crab. Dylan, the left has ceased on violence since the mid '70s. Get over it. You had Andrew Biertbart on your show and practically, excused his bad and vile behavior. To you if he could disassociate the Teabaggers from racism you are with him. How wrong of you. The left after Bush2 was 5/4 appointed in 2000. How many of the lefties were organizing, carrying loaded guns to events were the president was speaking? How many GOPers were spat on, called names, vandalized their offices? How many lefties were arrested for threatening elected officials? Fox twice now last year and this year, by one of their VPs declared the station an opposition to president Obama. How many president has had an opposition party vote against his major policies in lock step? Clinton, once by the GOPers, once again. Does the media report and ask why? Nope, you all report on the failures spouted by GOPers and parroted by the MSM of the Obama team. Dylan, the repubs are an obstacle to the Financial reform, when will you and Scarborough tell the truth? No going to happen.
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Peter007
10:06 AM on 04/20/2010
The politicians in Washington and the major corporations in this country have always been in bed with each other. If you ..Joe Nobody, want to see the President or an important official, you have zero chance of getting a meeting. If you are head of a major company with lots of assets and employees, you will be ushered into the front door of the Whitehouse.
Together, Washington and Wall Street screwed the American People. Now the spineless politicians are blaming their spouse ( wall st. ) for the crisis. There will not be a divorce for the two need each other. However, there will be a financial settlement and when it comes to paying up, the Americans without access to the Whitehouse will be asked to pay. Not directly, but indirectly , as soon as the financial wizards figure out how to separate you from your savings without you knowing it.
09:22 AM on 04/20/2010
"....Call to Arms"!? OMG...he's inciting violence! Teabagger!
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den1953
The National Inquire of Politics the GOP!
08:58 AM on 04/20/2010
If anyone would care to see how not to write a business model this is the company to study, they have got to be the worst insurance company in the world, and i would suggest to anyone who can change your insurance company to some one else anyone but them!
08:46 AM on 04/20/2010
Obama received almost a million dollars in campaign contribution from Goldman Sachs. I wonder why he will not release the emails?
10:32 AM on 04/20/2010
just curious, can you produce a credible link to back that up...or is it just a talking point from a right wing blog
06:09 PM on 04/20/2010
Believe D.R. mentioned it when pointing out the banking lobby contributed millions to both parties in Congress. Good source to follow the money..... maplight.org. Site also mentioned by D.R.
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shivasquest
04:22 AM on 04/20/2010
Isnt this treason?
Economic terrorism?
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plumnelly
02:06 PM on 04/20/2010
YES. But, Martha Stewart was the real threat, apparently.
04:14 AM on 04/20/2010
Good for you, Mr. Ratigan! Right on as always.
02:22 AM on 04/20/2010
When is Mr. Ratigan going to focus his criticizing attention on the REAL culprit of this whole sordid affair: government and their regulations.

The rating agencies gave AIG and their faulty credit default swaps a triple A rating. But as we all know AIG sold trillions of dollars worth of swaps that were worthless. Goldman Sachs and the rest of the free world relied on the ratings these agencies gave to them. Had the swaps worked as they were supposed to we neve would have had the financial meltdown.

Why didn' the rating agencies not do the job they were supposed to do? Because there was no incentive to do so. The government had given only a handful of agencies the monopoly on doing the rating. Goldman Sachs and everyone else had no choice but to use them under the dictates of government regulation.

So, there was NO free market in rating agencies. In any other industry, if a supplier doesn't provide you with a satisfactory product, you go to someone else who will. That couldn't happen here.

Bottom line: government is culpable.
02:53 AM on 04/20/2010
I agree that the rating agencies are culpable, but to infer that poor little GS and the rest were victims because they received AAA ratings on the products they were selling is rather laughable. Without those ratings they wouldn't have sold a thing.
02:21 PM on 04/20/2010
David writes:

"Without those ratings they wouldn't have sold a thing."

Precisely the point!

Nothing could be sold without the rating of the CDOs. And the government decreed only a handful of "Nationally Recognized Statistical Rating Organisations" that had the right to do the rating.

Tell me, David, if you were given the monopoly to provide a certain service, how motivated would you be to do the best possible job if you didn't have any competitors looking over your shoulder to take away your business?
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jackbutler5555
06:48 AM on 04/20/2010
You know, don't you, the rating agencies, are private -- not government.
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Peter007
09:57 AM on 04/20/2010
Many of the securities sold were required to have a certification by one of the two major rating companies. Thats a government law. If you are buying a security with a AAA and you know that the Federal Government is standing behind the rating agency that rated it, its an implied warranty that the US Gov't stands behind that security.

There is no need to do due diligence when the US gov't is standing behind your investment. ( implied warranty )
02:11 PM on 04/20/2010
You know, don't you, that the airlines in this country are private.

But they still have to fly according to FAA regulations.
01:41 AM on 04/20/2010
Going down that road will eventually implicate not just the wall streeters but so many major political players from both parties in DC and around the country that it would shake the country to its core. I have no faith that the whole truth will be allowed to be pursued.
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siasina
12:26 AM on 04/20/2010
We need Senator Ratigan, so he can stand there on the Senate floor and educate all the other 99 Senators.
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booki
12:48 PM on 04/20/2010
i would bet, he would not want to debase himself.
i am sure, all 100 have been listening to Dylan.
(too bad, most seem to have no shame............only ego.)
Dylan ROCKS!!!
12:19 AM on 04/20/2010
to dylan's point, we need something to break us out of our somnambulism, shake us out of the sophisticated spin control that governs our psyche - right left center. as a media producer, i've spent my life expressing my POV - positive and liberal - but manipulative none the less - so i know how it works.

i ask my friends - look what's happening - why aren't we out in the streets - where is the outrage? and yet, i don't see myself out there either (too busy, too, kind of, comfortable). as the concentration of wealth and power further squeezes into a smaller and smaller % - to dylan's point, look who is being shafted/ruined - the heart of our country and as a byproduct, our soul as well.

we need more msnbc-ers to ring the bell with clarity toward a tipping point of awareness before it's too late... keep up the good work!
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DrJykell
Truth hunter
12:35 AM on 04/20/2010
Your right,,,, these heartless individuals have no feeling what so ever about what they've done to all Americans,,,,,,,,,I'm more worried about these folks remaining free than OBL or anyone like him,,, there needs to be some theme that unites all the ppl,, something that puts wall st in the same perspective as those locked up in gitmo...

They stole America,,,, by planting these rules that helped them take the money and run,,, and from the looks of things are far from being done..