Showing posts with label FINANCIAL. Show all posts
Showing posts with label FINANCIAL. Show all posts

Monday, October 12, 2009

A VOICE FROM THE FINANCIAL INDUSTRY: GO FIND A FREAKING VENTURE CAPITALIST

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A GUY AT WAR WITH HIMSELF [his remarks to a TV host]:
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[To TV host] ... "You keep railing against the government; yet you want the government to loan directly to small business? Get real.

Personally, I'm sick and tired of subsidizing Capitalism.
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Most Americans don't realize it, but ... don't you get it? The government (us) subsidizes capitalism. We've been doing it for years.
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As a friend of mine said, we've got "Capitalism 201 Gone Wild".

Tell me ... what industries aren't being subsidized by our government?
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Know what's even more infuriating? ... come on ... it's the inequality in the system. Some industries and businesses are subsidized while others are not. Who makes these freaking decisions regarding who is worthy and who is not?
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Unfortunately, if the taxpayer refused to subsidize everyone starting today, this whole so-called "capitalistic" system would fail and anyone on the sidelines would get sucked in.

This is what gets me ... people decry socialism, but socialism has enabled everyone, including our freaking free enterprise system.
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Next time you want to start a business, market or invent something; go find a freaking venture capitalist or get a commercial loan. Don’t ask (us) the government to subsidize you or give you a loan.
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Better still, ... save enough money so you don't need a loan.

[To TV host], Look ... this system is now so complex and intertwined; and globally intertwined, we are teetering too close to the edge, for my comfort.

Pretty soon, the government (us) won't be able to prop up anyone.

Leave it to Republicans, and we'd be at war with North Korea, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, then they'd find some reason to occupy Pakistan.
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There would be no more United States of America. We'd be destroyed financially and every which way. World War III we do not need. "
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"But let's get back to the banks. Every sane one of us who works in the financial industry knows that banks are just middle men. They [retail banks] are great for checking accounts, small savings accounts, certificates of deposit and small collateralized loans [commercial banks - larger collateralized loans]; but getting banks involved in insurance products and highly speculative financial products is crazy.

Most of us knew that if we kept mixing our banking arm with our insurance and trading arms, we couldn't afford to sneeze; but there was no one in authority that wanted to step up to the plate and stop a money making runaway train.

Gramm-Leach-Bliley let us get as big as we wanted, allowed us to create all kinds of financial instruments; and allowed us to mix and match every freaking thing we could get our hands on; and we made a boat load of money."
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CONTINUED:
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"Insurance is the backbone of the financial industry. I find it interesting that no one links health insurance with financial services. Maybe they just don't talk about it.

Several weeks ago, I stated that the financial industry always keeps its base and returns to its base in times of trouble.

Health insurance profits, life insurance profits and other financial instruments and financial products (profits) have been keeping the financial industry alive and well for years. On the consumer side, annuities
will probably be our biggest retail financial product going forward.
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Heads will roll if Congress gets that public health insurance option into the legislation. Know what I mean? (laugh) Got to keep those "w" in Congress kissing a'...





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... What about Lieberman? (laugh) ... come on ... can he bend over and touch his toes? (laughing hysterically)
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My industry will always make money because it will always have its base (insurance). The wonderful thing about insurance, ... you can put insurance on anyone or anything, as long as there is insurable interest. The insurer is betting that he will never have to pay out or rarely pay out; but he's always got to stay ahead of the game and keep that money flowing in.
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Do we ever worry that we won't have enough reserves? Heck no ... as long as we've got friends in high places ... (laugh).
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Remember, all insurance is ... is spreading risk around. Right now, that risk is in the hands of the taxpayer.
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I hope someone knows how to control the risk, cause believe me, the government needs to stop propping up all these industries/businesses.
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With rare exception, ... sink or swim on your own dime. Where you get your money is your business, as long as it's not from the taxpayer.
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This is one area where Republicans and I are in accord; except those freaking idiots didn't follow their own ideology. They've been just as guilty as Democrats with their industry and business subsidies [corporate welfare].

Republicans and I differ in that I would have never allowed health insurance companies to go public. I would have made sure health insurance companies, that were mutual companies, remained mutual companies; where the policyholders had ownership rights, and with those rights, helped control the risk.
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As a public company, while its ability to raise capital increases, the risk of loss of capital also increases; plus the control of costs remains not with the policyholders (by their choice of management); but instead lies with a corporate board whose interests may not be in the best interest of the company or the policyholder.
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Hey, I'm not a completely "heartless" bastard.
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You, [TV host], want to keep what many health insurance companies currently are ... "for profit".
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Are you insane? That's one place that needs to be all non-profit or government run or government run combined with non-profit.

I will always differ with you on your competition/choice argument as long as you keep the health insurance companies "for profit".

... Ok, I guess I've veered off into a host of areas. Sorry ..

I'm Lawrence O'Donnell today." [No disrespect intended.]
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CONTINUED:
"That ridiculous Credit Card Act of 2009? … We [the financial services industry] didn't lose a damn thing; we quickly raised finance charges and added more bank fees. We’ve found lots of loopholes to get around those rules and regulations put in place. *
You've got to give us credit, we've been very successful making prostitutes of many members of Congress. Don't tell anyone, but we often snicker behind exclusive country club doors, while we're sipping "Hennessy cognac".

Look [TV host], the taxpayer bailed us out; and now we're laughing all the way to our bank. Couldn't get any sweeter. 


Oh, … and you know what's even funnier? All that lawsuit money that we paid out to Enron employees and pensioners in previous years? ... We've recouped most of that with the bailout.

I hate to say it [well not really], but you have to love the irony. We screwed the economy, millions lost their jobs, and now the losers have to come to us to borrow money. Ha!

The taxpayer has to borrow his own money to pay the bills. This is vintage Capitalism.


We’re raking in the money from finance charges and bank fees … cause, ... I’ll say it again … you’ve got no money; and you have to borrow money [from us] just to make ends meet. Boy do we have you by the balls.
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Heck, most Americans can’t even get through the week; some can’t get through the day, without credit cards. The 1% of the population, who control 90% to 95% of the wealth in this country, made sure of that.

We’ve even got small business hooked. Hell, we’ve got everyone hooked.

1 out of 6 Americans live in poverty. We’ll just continue to drain you dry, and continue outsourcing to other countries where we can exploit their labor and steal their resources, eventually draining them dry; and then we'll move on.

You can never trust us, or outsmart us."
Signed "Anonymous"

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Update: September 10, 2012
Bill Clinton: The Great Deregulator, by Robert Scheer



Update: October 5, 2010
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Update: March 2010
CHASING MADOFF, BY HARRY MARKOPOLOS

 
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Wednesday, March 18, 2009

FINANCIAL EDUCATION SERIES: COMMODITIES 101

I've heard so many people express their ignorance about finance; so today, I'm doing a financial education series: Commodities, Derivatives, Credit Default Swaps, and the Federal Reserve.

COMMODITIES 101

Please turn off/pause music player to the right of this page before starting video.

FINANCIAL EDUCATION SERIES: DERIVATIVES 101

DERIVATIVES 101

Please turn off/pause music player to the right of this page before viewing video.

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FINANCIAL EDUCATION SERIES: CREDIT DEFAULT SWAPS 101

CREDIT DEFAULT SWAPS 101

Please turn off/pause music player to the right of this page before viewing videos.




CREDIT DEFAULT SWAPS





UNTANGLING CREDIT DEFAULT SWAPS

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FINANCIAL EDUCATION SERIES - FEDERAL RESERVE

THE FEDERAL RESERVE 101











THIS VIDEO IS HIGHLY CONTROVERSIAL AND IS A LIBERTARIAN VIEW OF THE FED

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OTHER CRITICISMS OF THE FED:

-Henry Ford
"Banking was conceived in iniquity, and was born in sin. The Bankers own the Earth. Take it away from them, but leave them the power to create deposits, and with the flick of the pen, they will create enough deposits, to buy it back again. However, take it away from them, and all the great fortunes like mine will disappear, and they ought to disappear, for this would be a happier and better world to live in. But if you wish to remain the slaves of Bankers, and pay the cost of your own slavery, let them continue to create deposits."

-Lewis vs. United States, 680 F. 2d 1239 9th Circuit 1982
"Those who create and issue money and credit direct the policies of government and hold in the hollow of their hands the destiny of the people."

-Thomas Jefferson, Letter to the Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin (1802) 3rd president of US (1743 - 1826)
[The] Bank of the United States... is one of the most deadly hostility existing, against the principles and form of our Constitution... An institution like this, penetrating by its branches every part of the Union, acting by command and in phalanx, may, in a critical moment, upset the government. I deem no government safe which is under the vassalage of any self-constituted authorities, or any other authority than that of the nation, or its regular functionaries. What an obstruction could not this bank of the United States, with all its branch banks, be in time of war! It might dictate to us the peace we should accept, or withdraw its aids. Ought we then to give further growth to an institution so powerful, so hostile?

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Tuesday, March 17, 2009

AMERICANS SOLD A BILL OF BULL

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Americans have bought into a lie and cling to it despite all evidence to the contrary.
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Americans seem to think that there is more class upward mobility in the United States than there is in other industrialized Nations that have large welfare states.*** Well, their belief is not supported by the facts.
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Doesn't surprise me at all. Americans have been listening to the **wrong people for a long time and buying into an ideology that is designed to keep most Americans less mobile. **[There have been more Republican administrations than Democratic administrations.]
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I had hoped we were smarter. Probably Americans had the mistaken notion about upward mobility because of the availability of credit cards and refinancing which allowed them to run up a "shameful" amount of debt for things they could not afford ... giving the illusion of being well off or living comfortably.
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I would bet, that if these Americans who feel that there is more upward mobility in the United States than elsewhere, would gladly go back into "suck the life out of you" debt just to make a point ... a stupid point ... but Americans are stubborn and so easily "snowed".
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Below are graphs which show where Americans stand vs citizens in northern European countries in regards to upward mobility. Americans also have the highest crime rates, the most pollution, the fattest people, the least educated, the most people in prisons, the most people without health care, and we make less money per productivity gains. All this evidence and we still cling to a false belief that countries with large "welfare states" are just horrible and don't allow for upward mobility.
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So here's the evidence, but I would bet that the "Americans for Prosperity" would deny it ... even looking at the truth ... that's how deluded most Americans are.
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From: "Surveys: Americans grip to Individualism in Economic Storm"
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"Not only do voters continue to be convinced, by large majorities, that they, and not government or big corporations, control their own destinies in the midst of the current recession, but they do so despite more long-term evidence suggesting that there is less class mobility in the United States than in most Northern European countries, or in Canada, and that U.S. wages have not kept up with productivity gains for the past three decades.
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This conviction underpins the long-standing American hostility to a full-fledged welfare state -- along the lines of many European countries -- and underpins the lack of a strong socialist tradition in the US. It also shapes the debate over policies to deal with the current recession, including the Obama administration's rejection of bank nationalization."
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Update November 10, 2010
How the Wealthy Organized to Rip Everyone Else off -- And What You Can Do to Stop It | | AlterNet by Maria Armoudian



*Survey of 2119 respondents conducted by the Democratic firm Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research and the Republican firm Public Opinion Strategies for the Pew Economic Mobility Project
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***Denmark has a free market capitalist economy, and a large welfare state,[3]. It ranks according to one measure as having the world's highest level of income equality.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denmark
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"Norway has a Scandinavian welfare model and the largest capital reserve per capita of any nation."
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norway
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CANADA
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"The French healthcare system was ranked first worldwide by the World Health Organization in 1997.[54] It is almost entirely free for people affected by chronic diseases (Affections de longues durées) such as cancers, AIDS or Cystic Fibrosis. Average life expectancy at birth is 79.73 years."

Friday, March 13, 2009

JAMIE DIMON GET OVER YOURSELF

Of all the “MOTHER LOVING” gall. Jamie Dimon, “Let them Eat Cake” CEO of JPMorgan Chase (one of the first to make his investment bank a bank holding company who could partake of bailout money) – and now the largest of the bank holding companies – is crying “crocodile tears”, saying we’re picking on “poor little” corporations.
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HEY MR. BAILOUT RECIPIENT, weren’t you guys involved in Enron lawsuits?
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Weren’t you also the protĂ©gĂ© of Sandy Weill, former CEO of Citigroup; and wasn’t Citigroup also involved in the Enron scandal?
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Is it a wonder why we don’t trust you or your buddies?
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The arrogance of these guys is mindboggling!
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FRONTLINE: meltdown - financial crisis timeline | PBS
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JPMorgan Chase CEO Says Financial Crisis Will End When We All Stop Picking on Corporations | The Washington Independent by Mary Kane, March 11, 2009
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Dimon in the Rough | The Magazine | Vanity Fair April 2011, Graydon Carter