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Thursday, September 18, 2008

Listening to the "experts"

FWIW, this took off into the ether, as soon as I finished typing the title. That's about how much I can listen to the experts without screaming and throwing shit at the radio. Mr. Cokie Roberts is on the Diane Rheem Show this a.m., talking with three of those "experts" about the wholly unforeseen, unpredictable and unprecedented nosedive of Wall Street (which is sucking everyone else's economies into the maelstrom--see, we ARE still important!!). All of those overeducated, underobservant assholes are paid millions to run the companies that are tanking left and right. They are paid that money because they, supposedly, know how to do so. It appears that a lot of them have no fucking idea what they're doing--aside from how to draw and spend those huge, undeserved "compensation packages". I'd like to say its schadenfreude on my part to enjoy their suffering--except it appears that a lot of them aren't suffering. They're walking away with enormous wads of cash (although, in truth, $10-30M or so doesn't buy what it used to!) as a result of deals worked out with the boards. Of course the fact that a lot of the CEO's of various companies sit on each others' boards; that wouldn't in any way affect their judgement on such matters, would it? Nah. Well, that's enough of that, for now. I was listening to a John Gorka tape last night--I am a technoluddite and damned proud of it--! Anyway, I go the Salvation Army thrift store and buy tapes for .99 apiece, great music at the right price. So; I'm litening to the tape and the last song on it is "Brown Shirts". If you haven't heard it, or heard of it, you might want to check it out. It was written in 1992, but it could have been written tomorrow. I know that the Dixie Chicks have been one of the most visible groups or artists to put their careers on the line by voicing their disapproval with and disgust of the "values" of the GOP. There are others, however; hundreds (thousands?) of musicians, comedians, actors and other public figures who use their popular appeal and celebrity to do the right thing and speak truth to power. thus endeth the rant.

7 comments:

Richard said...

F---in' A right, demo. You're the best. I think I have my very first troll! Woo-hoo! I am very excitied.

democommie said...

Richard:

Thanks!

I went to Susan's blog. I think I will disagree with her, but I don't think she's a troll. She has some ideas I like and some I don't. Time will tell.

Mr. Mack said...

Yup. You'd think that more of them would wade in, now that the water is nice and warm.

sharon said...

Now that Congress is nationalizing the banking and mortgage industries, can we have our single-payer health care now, too? It would only take a few more minutes of their time, and they wouldn't have to buy up any junk health insurance plans on our behalf.

Seriously, The Party That Wrecked America should pay heavily for this. I hope this bill to buy up the junk mortgages comes with some heavy regulation attached. Or maybe an amendment or two to repeal the worst offenses in the P.A.T.R.I.O.T. Act.

democommie said...

Sharon:

The Grover Norquist effect kicks in here. Now that the government has made you and I one of 315,000,000+/- "stakeholders"--no let's change that to "bagholders". We will all share in the losses. When the economy returns to some semblance of rationality those enterprises will be sold to the wealthy (who have, of course, all of the money they stole from us) for several cents on the dollar.

The healthcare thing, unfortunately, will have to be delayed, because all of the nation's assets are tied up in military adventure and bailing out the thieves. Sorry. Your next "stimulus package" will include a health care component--a bandaid and two aspirins.

Anonymous said...

Demo, like they say in the old neighborhood: I got yer stimulus package right here!

Fran said...

I do love John Gorka, and "Brown Shirts" is just quietly creepy. But then, that's how they get to you, isn't it?