Do We Matter ?

It is a beautiful day on Cape Cod. A walk to the beach in the sunshine is planned with a friend. I must get out and take in the light of day, as they’re so short now.

I watched a movie last night a friend gave me. After it started, I realized I had seen it before. It’s called, “The Inside Job.” How could I ever forget it ?

It made me livid the first time. Watching it a second time, only exacerbated and regurgitated the disgust I had for these people and the system the first time. It’s fascinating and scary. It’s informative. It makes me wonder if the world, or at least our country, isn’t just run by a handful of people and it doesn’t much matter who gets into office.

Bush appointed several of these criminals who helped cause the financial crisis, into his administration. How refreshing. Well, I guess that is their forte and they sure know how to scheme and make money. For themselves at least, but what about for us ? Nothing got better for us.

Paulson left his position as CEO of Goldman Sachs to become Bush’s secretary treasury. A bit of a conflict ? Supposedly, he left Goldman so he could cash out his stocks for about 460 million. I’d call this lucrative work.

Then he moved into government to make new laws for the wealthy, so they can avoid tax too. Oh and did I say that he never paid a cent of taxes on all that money ? We sure could have used it from all the debt we incurred from the financial crisis, a portion of what he was part of.

How come we get to pay taxes if we make 50k, 100k or 500k ? What does he know that we don’t ? Other than being a good crook. He never went to jail. Instead, he was rewarded with millions and a position on CAPITAL HILL. Why wasn’t he and the others who made a killing from Wall St and stole pension and retirement funds, forced to give that money back ? Every one of them kept it. Every one of them is still working and many back on Wall St.

That money belongs to the people who invested in their shoddy scam, or us, who had to bail them out. Investors were fed another lie- they were told these companies had AAA ratings. Yes, the 3 ratings companies were paid off too. Are you getting the picture ?

It infuriates me how these people all got away with it. They put Bernie Madoff behind bars in no time. Sure, he should be in prison, but what he did was equivalent to stealing a dime compared to the rapists from major companies like Goldman.

I think Madoff was the fall guy. The one the government could point to and say, “We did put bad people in jail, look.” Yea, I see one. Not all the heavy hitters though. Not the big fish who really should be there. These spineless bastards, destroyed people’s lives. They forced homes to foreclosure because their jobs were eliminated, and their income went with it, they lost healthcare because it was attached to their jobs. Worst of all, they took away their hope and trust.

I sometimes wonder, does it really matter who’s in office ? Do the takers and big business lean on politicians so hard that eventually they have to give in ? Or do they stonewall them, like they did with Obama’s first term, so nothing ever gets done for us and we’re left with status quo. Are they just talking heads ? I hate to go there.

Republicans are held hostage by Grover Norquist, a powerful lobbyist who made each of them sign a pledge to never raise taxes or vote for any loopholes around it. Why would they do such a thing ? Who is he anyway ? And if they don’t sign or falter, they lose re-election, Like Alan Simpson, who took a stand. Is that where this country has gone ? Everyone is bought ?

According to top economists, if we don’t cut loopholes and taxes for the rich, we’re screwed. Money needs to come from somewhere. Oh wait, I forgot. Of course. They can take it from us. Like the social security that we have already paid into, some of us for 20, 30, 40 years or more. Or.. how about Medicare ? And they call these programs, the ones we have already paid for, entitlements.

Let me get this straight. We pay our own way. They, on the other hand, get their insurance, the best healthcare money could buy and a nice, fat pension after they leave. For life. And we pay for them. I believe those are called entitlements. Not paying for something you think you deserve and are owed.

I say, we take the money from there. Let them pay into their own programs, like we have. And these are our law makers. Isn’t it time to throw them all out and start new ? Fresh blood, who will change the laws. What ever happened to being in office to serve the people. It’s more about serving themselves. And they’ve been helping themselves to very generous portions, for a long time now.

I’m over it. Something needs to be done. We need a revolution in this country. It’s as corrupt as the ones we’ve seen topple overseas. When people disagree, I tell them we just look prettier and it doesn’t smell as bad on the outside. On the inside, it’s the worst stench you could ever imagine.

And as far as all the thieves from Wall St ? They should be forced to give back all of their bonus money and salaries. It should be divided up between the people who lost everything by their greed. Many have filed suit, as they should have. Did they get any money yet ?

I think we should make good use of the abandoned real-estate in our country, especially those in blighted areas. We should take some of those buildings, that no doubt were foreclosed on and build cells in them.

Then we should fill the cells with all the crooks from Wall St, who are probably still working and getting bonuses, no doubt, along with the worst criminals ever. Let them kill each other, for all I care. Because I don’t. I wouldn’t blink. And I used to be such a pacifist. I don’t trust anymore either.

I’ll help toss the key into the river. A very deep one. Because if it were any one of us, we’d already be rotting in there.
Now for my walk…… Much needed after this post.