There are many terrifying things in the world, but for my money the most terrifying news article I have read in weeks was the one in the New York Times today by Graham Bowley and Jenny Andersen headlined "For Goldman, a Swift Return to Lofty Profits". Now it's obvious from my writing that I am not a fan of the big banking companies like Goldman Sachs, but why would it scare me so much that they had made big money this last quarter? Because of how they made it:
In essence, Goldman has managed to do again what it has always done so well: embrace risks that its rivals feared to take and, for the most part, manage those risks better than its rivals dreamed possible.
"It is, in many respects, business as usual at Goldman," said Roger Freeman, an analyst at Barclays Capital.Traders said Goldman capitalized on the tumult in the credit markets to reap a fortune trading bonds. It profitably navigated a white-knuckled run in stock markets. It bought and sold volatile currencies, as well as commodities like oil. And it reaped lucrative fees from the high-margin business of underwriting stock offerings, which surged this year as other, more troubled financial institutions raced to raise capital.
So what Goldman is doing is the exact same kind of high-risk, "white-knuckled" trading that led us to the economic collapse of last fall. And because their bets are -- so far -- paying off, they will be giving out $18 billion dollars in salaries and bonuses to their traders; and because those bets are paying off, most of the other big Wall Street firms will be following them back into these speculative trading ventures.
Goldman is happy to take these risks because, hey look, they are still too big to fail. They know that even if their luck runs out, the Federal Reserve and American taxpayers will still be there to back them up.
This article should be raising five-alarm, all hands on deck red alerts all over Washington, DC. But I fear too much of the business media and DC politicians are once again not paying attention. The good news I can report is that high-level sources in the White House are paying a lot of attention to this, and are very troubled by it. I am very glad about that, but am still concerned that Treasury and most of Capitol Hill seem not to understand the consequences of Goldman and their ilk going back to the exact same dangerous games they had been up to before. It's like last fall's financial collapse never happened.
Now just so you think I'm all doom and gloom, since I started with the scariest article I had read, let me end on the funniest article I've read in weeks. Peter Wallison at the American Enterprise Institute wrote an article attacking the idea of a consumer financial protection agency, in other words, regulations on those big banks' trading practices, saying the idea of protecting consumers and our entire economy from high risk trades is "elitist". Wow, that is comedic chutzpah on a very high level: defending Goldman Sachs and their friends from more regulation, defending the most elite and irresponsible speculators in the world, by calling those of us who want some regulation of them elitist.
That kind of comedy gold is exactly what got us into the mess we are in today. Which I have to admit, isn't so funny after all.
Mike Lux is the author of The Progressive Revolution: How the Best in America Came to Be.
To a large extent, they CREATED the turmoil that is causing so many to suffer, and by which they are profiting so handsomely.
They are not alone in this profiteering -- for that is what it is -- but they are chief among thieves.
Its not high risk for Goldman. They have people at the Fed, the Treasury and the regulatory bodies.
Guess that is way down on the list f things to do , after the FINANCIAL mess can always be mitigated by throwing more taxpayer money at it.
The whole "to big to fail" point is right on the money here. This label which has been put on these evil corporations pretty much gives them the power to do whatever they want. We can thank Bush, Paulson, Bernanke, Obama and many others for that. I think it’s funny how we are told just how greedy and evil these companies are yet we are also made to believe that we can’t do without them. The idea of letting them fail is just not conceivable in the eyes of our government.
Please, your religion has no credibility; preach it all you like, but given any choice in the matter we peons at the bottom would shut you and your neoliberal nonsense down.
Capitalism isn't a terrible, unworkable system, but it must be controlled, as fundie true believers like you talk a good game, but all you really want is an opportunity to game the system with the same methods that our current spate of Wall gamers have used to wreck the financial industry. You are wrong, and you are wrong in so many ways that I don't have time or inclination to explain--and it would be an useless effort anyway.
People of your mindset never listen, and you never learn.
This TROIKA only cares about PROFIT & WAR.
What happened to YES WE CAN?
President Obama very soon you will have to decide if you want to be the CHANGE president you campaigned on in order to represent THE PEOPLE "or" if you will become the president of continued EMPIRE fueled by GREED & WAR representing THE CORPORATIONS!
I have some questions for President Obama - "President Obama have you read Matt Taibbi's recent Rolling Stone article? If not, why not? If you have, what is your reaction?"
I think the Tea Parties had an idea that needs to be expanded to all of America. We, and our futures, are getting robbed right before our very eyes and we are letting it happen! Shame on us.
Lincoln finally stood up to the institution of SLAVERY. Obama needs to stand up to the institution of EMPIRE, ruled by Wall Street, Washington & the Pentagon.
Obama likes the Lincoln comparisons - but "actions speak louder than words!"
Wall Street & the Pentagon with the full support of their political DC "stooges" are literally robbing the American citizens of TRILLIONS of dollars right before our eyes!
President Obama all of America is watching!
ENOUGH!
Co-sign!
Co-sign!
The President is going to have to take a page out of LBJ's playbook....it's called "arm twisting"! He needs to quit delegating his agenda to the Congress. They are not going to cut off the smarmy hands of the lobbyists that feed them!
I know it's a long shot, but we need campaign finance reform in the worst possible way! Lobbyists are choking our government! It would appear that if we want any significant reform in health, education, energy, etc., the President will have to take on this task to get big business out of government! Whether he does what he promised remains to be seen!
It should be apparent to anyone with a brain that Congress has been bought out by the big money....big oil, big insurance, big pharma, big agra,, big banking! It is no longer any mystery why they are not passing laws to protect the American people from predatory businesses!
The health care debate is a crystal-clear example of how corrupt the system has become, with the health care industry spending $1.4 million PER DAY to defeat any significant reform. In my state, for example, we have been deluged with "anti-public option" advertising and now we are aware of the millions paid out to our lawmakers.
We no longer have a "representative" government...and I cannot nor will I blame President Obama for this fact. The corruption has been there since way before he even decided tor run for the office.
Three words....CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM! Without it, we can expect more of the same raping and pillaging of the American taxpayer!
And GW had nothing to do with any of this, huh? It's a sign of ignorance to take the simple way out and blame the president as if one man is responsible for the condition this country finds itself in. Why not live up to your name and provide Great News?
If Obama is guilty of anything, it's that he is likewise following conservative economic policies.
The TARP never bought those "bad assets," but was used for posh junkets, bonuses, mergers-acquisitons making "too-big-to-fail" institutions even larger.
It also sent a signal that the taxpayers will underwrite Wall St. and banking losses, while they reap the rewards for reckless speculation.
Considering the contributions our lawmakers (both houses and all parties) received, it's no wonder they're willing to "wastefully" spend tax dollars to support their patrons and benefactors, rather than represent their constituents, districts, states and our "Country First."
If Bush had called martial law, he could have canceled the elections and remained in power. Apparently they had considered it as US troops were in place to be used on US soil for "crowd control", a direct violation of the US law called "posse comitatus".
At that point in time, it was imperative to get the Bushies OUT of the White House....IMHO, this is the main reason that Congress caved in to the TARP! Doesn't make it any easier to take, but there is an awful lot going on behind the scenes that we don't know about.
It will shock you! Those with blood pressure problems are fore-warned!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaG9d_4zij8