First, they help destroy the economy with their brazen financial schemes. Then they demand unprecedented support from the Federal Reserve and the U.S. government itself. Then they complain about the national debt soaring past $16 trillion in large part because of this crisis that they helped cause. And now they fear the heavy dose of spending cuts and tax increases that ending our nation's runaway deficit spending will require.

I ran across a priceless piece in the Sunday's Daily Herald - in the Wall Street Journal business supplement section.

I asked the author, Al Lewis for permission to reprint the article, but was advised  that it is owned by Dow Jones which does not give permission to reprint. 

Boo Hoo and Sob.

Here's a link:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444734804578064840879262594.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

 

I'm going to excerpt some of what Al wrote, quoting the juiciest of the jucies (they were all pretty juicy - the man CAN write, and is further evidence that irony is not dead, it just is one of those utility clubs in the bag that does not get pulled out as often as it ought to be).  But writing well is one thing - being an astute analsyt with the ability to simplify things to a level an eight-year can understand is a TALENT (Jesus, the carpenter, of Nazareth did it as well as anyone) and a gift, that blows like clean, cool, air, cleansing the stench that permeates the fog of clouds tossed our way by TV and print news to confuse, obfuscate, and obliterate the real issue, which is THIS:  we do not live in a democracy of, by, and for the people.  We live in a corporate welfare state, where corporate money buys and corrupts politicians (of BOTH parties - although finding tangible differences between the Republican and Democratic parties any more is impossible to do - except that one party talks a better game than the other - and I'm not saying which one, because everyone ought to agree with my statement; the one that you think talks the better game is the one that aligns more closely with your politics) for the privelege of writing the legislation that (mostly large international) corporations (with no loyalty to any country) want written and passed.

"As our nation races toward a self-imposed fiscal cliff, the funniest part is watching some Wall Street bankers panic.

No matter how bad things get, we all know they'll be bailed out. Yet they felt compelled last week to send an urgent letter to Congress and President Barack Obama imploring them to avoid the fiscal cliff."

Sadly, the part about "we all know they'll be bailed out" is likely to be most prescient.  It ought NOT to be that way, and we ought to let these cheaters FAIL, and all those who have invested in these cheating, lying, manipulating, greedy, pernicious banks lose every dime they invested: as an object lesson, pure and simple.

"For a dying democracy, it's embarrassing enough to see bankers telling our government what do to. But in this letter, we even see foreign bankers telling our government what to do...

First, they help destroy the economy with their brazen financial schemes. Then they demand unprecedented support from the Federal Reserve and the U.S. government itself. Then they complain about the national debt soaring past $16 trillion in large part because of this crisis that they helped cause. And now they fear the heavy dose of spending cuts and tax increases that ending our nation's runaway deficit spending will require."

Please DO check out the entire article.

And while you're at it, check out Al's Blog!

Al Lewis is a columnist for Dow Jones Newswires in Denver. He blogs at tellittoal.com;

Hell, this material is better written and far more poignant than the comedy of Saturday Night Live or the jokes of David Letterman. IT VERY funny. Sad, true, and very funny (tragic, actually).