If you're a banker worth hundreds of millions of dollars you would have to be pretty good at what you do. You would know the ins and outs of banking. Now that doesn't mean that you don't take chances and go against your better judgement but you definitely know your business better than someone that makes laws for a living. It took a lot of CEO's and middle management people to get in this mess. So why is it up to one guy, in the government to figure out how to get out of the financial hole we dug ourselves into, with no contribution from Wall Street?
Timothy Geithner, the new Treasury Secretary, has been charged with finding the way back to financial security and prosperity. I might know much about finance but shouldn't the banks be figuring out how to save their own necks. Government can set regulations but how we got here is answered by the one's that got us here. And figuring it out is in their best interest.
I'm sure finding the answers to the banking crisis will make evident that some not only did stupid, greedy things but probably even criminal things. Bernie Madoff was not the only person with dirty hands. So no one really wants to look into the past but they're going to have to to find the "magic bullet" answer.
Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont, wants to set up a commission to look into the many wrong doings in the administration of George W. Bush. But there needs to also be an investigation of the banking industry. So maybe we can have justice and a more sound banking system at the same time.
I know this is probably a pipe dream. Especially since this banking crisis will most likely turn into a scandal with the light an investigation would shine on it. So we have to Hope that through the solution to the problem we can purge ourselves of, if not the people, at least the mentality of how we got here. And maybe then we can see our way to the other side of this economic downturn, credit crisis, financial melt down, recession.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Donnie Doubter....
What if there was no financial crisis. If Bush had decided not to invade another sovereign nation and lied about his motivation for doing so. What if all we were concerned about right now was whether the Tennessee Titian's, were as good and their record or whether Brad and Angelina are really splitting up. If the country was fine and dandy, would America have made history?Would America elect its first minority president?
I thought of this, because the other day there was a story on the news about if the push for alternative energy would subside now that gas prices have dropped dramatically. Remember way back in the summer when people were actually conserving? Thinking before we drove that extra mile and thinking that regular coffee from McDonald's was better than that $4 latte from Starbucks. It took $4 a gallon gas to make us park are minivans and favorite SUVs. It took a market collapse and rampant gas speculation to make us steer clear of caffeine dispensing baristas and $4 specialty coffees or decide to walk or take the bus or bike for daily trips.
Politicians rarely want to tell us that we are a country of excess. That we are spoiled. Jimmy Carter tried to tell us in his famous "Malaise" speech and was quickly replaced by the ever positive Ronald Reagan. "We're not spoiled. We're a shining city on the hill". Like telling a country full of over eaters that your only fat if you think so."
My point is that this country seems to only make serious changes when we have to. We only seem willing to take a chance when our collective backs are against the wall.
I guess I should not be surprised that desperation is one of the strongest motivators of change. Like the Alabama bus boycott in the '50's. The bus companies were losing so much money that they caved and let blacks ride anywhere they wanted to on the bus. Our military was so hard up for recruits that they lowered their standards for admission.
But is this why America made history last week? Did Bush,Congress and Wall Street mess things up so much that it drove the electorate to consider the formally inconsiderable? Or is this just the ramblings of a suspicious black man unwilling to believe in the "new" America. I hope it is the latter.
I thought of this, because the other day there was a story on the news about if the push for alternative energy would subside now that gas prices have dropped dramatically. Remember way back in the summer when people were actually conserving? Thinking before we drove that extra mile and thinking that regular coffee from McDonald's was better than that $4 latte from Starbucks. It took $4 a gallon gas to make us park are minivans and favorite SUVs. It took a market collapse and rampant gas speculation to make us steer clear of caffeine dispensing baristas and $4 specialty coffees or decide to walk or take the bus or bike for daily trips.
Politicians rarely want to tell us that we are a country of excess. That we are spoiled. Jimmy Carter tried to tell us in his famous "Malaise" speech and was quickly replaced by the ever positive Ronald Reagan. "We're not spoiled. We're a shining city on the hill". Like telling a country full of over eaters that your only fat if you think so."
My point is that this country seems to only make serious changes when we have to. We only seem willing to take a chance when our collective backs are against the wall.
I guess I should not be surprised that desperation is one of the strongest motivators of change. Like the Alabama bus boycott in the '50's. The bus companies were losing so much money that they caved and let blacks ride anywhere they wanted to on the bus. Our military was so hard up for recruits that they lowered their standards for admission.
But is this why America made history last week? Did Bush,Congress and Wall Street mess things up so much that it drove the electorate to consider the formally inconsiderable? Or is this just the ramblings of a suspicious black man unwilling to believe in the "new" America. I hope it is the latter.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
I'm so late...
Well, I have gotten some sleep after 72 hours with only 4 hours of sleep in Chicago. So it has taken a little time to respond to this moment in history. I was so consumed by making sure that I was in the right spot at the right time in Grant Park that night. I was in a cab making my way to Grant Park when a roar like wave rushed down Michigan Avenue announcing that history was made.
My tears began the night before the election in my hotel room in Florida. I was watching an Obama rally in North Carolina. That was when I learned of the passing of Obama's grandmother. It wasn't just the tragically ironic timing of her death, but what he said she represented in his life. What she had sacrificed for him to succeed. It made me think of my own mother who used to clean houses, and worked in factories so that my sisters and I could have better opportunites than she had. It moved me to see how connected this man was and is to the everyday person. How I could relate to him by more than race and gender.
The graciousness of Senator McCain's concession speech, the recognition and appreciation in President Bush's comments and the pride of blackness in Condi Rice's voice all showed that Barack Obama was right when he said we are all connected by something bigger than political affiliations, we are connected by a country, we are all children of God.
Everyone we spoke with that night gave a sense that anything is possible now. During the past 21 months of the campaign I remember "hope" being ridiculed as lacking in substance, but this night hope was something you could taste in the air. It was on every face. It was in the fact that 125,000 people of every ethnic background could gather together to celebrate in common cause and not have one negative incident occur.
Of course I thought of my children also. Two adopted Ethiopians, (one boy and girl) and one biracial biological daughter. The corny but real feeling that they might inherit an America that will judge them by the content of their character not by the color of their skin.
What Michelle Obama was vilified for saying in response to her husband's early success, "for the fist time, in a long time, I'm really proud of my country", was uttered by tens of thousands of Chicagoans that night and by millions of Americans . Its what I felt. Not just satisfaction in the victory of Barack Obama, but the knowledge that it took more than black votes to accomplish this highest of goals. It took millions of Americans including a considerable amount of white voters to accomplish this mandate. In the end proving that it was not about race, but about the two candidates and how they handled the issues and challenging situations they were faced with.
That was what I was most proud of. Not that we elected a black president, but that we elected the best candidate for the job, who happens to be black.
Tomorrow I will post a slideshow of photographs taken by me on my geeky groupy picture takin' palosa
My tears began the night before the election in my hotel room in Florida. I was watching an Obama rally in North Carolina. That was when I learned of the passing of Obama's grandmother. It wasn't just the tragically ironic timing of her death, but what he said she represented in his life. What she had sacrificed for him to succeed. It made me think of my own mother who used to clean houses, and worked in factories so that my sisters and I could have better opportunites than she had. It moved me to see how connected this man was and is to the everyday person. How I could relate to him by more than race and gender.
The graciousness of Senator McCain's concession speech, the recognition and appreciation in President Bush's comments and the pride of blackness in Condi Rice's voice all showed that Barack Obama was right when he said we are all connected by something bigger than political affiliations, we are connected by a country, we are all children of God.
Everyone we spoke with that night gave a sense that anything is possible now. During the past 21 months of the campaign I remember "hope" being ridiculed as lacking in substance, but this night hope was something you could taste in the air. It was on every face. It was in the fact that 125,000 people of every ethnic background could gather together to celebrate in common cause and not have one negative incident occur.
Of course I thought of my children also. Two adopted Ethiopians, (one boy and girl) and one biracial biological daughter. The corny but real feeling that they might inherit an America that will judge them by the content of their character not by the color of their skin.
What Michelle Obama was vilified for saying in response to her husband's early success, "for the fist time, in a long time, I'm really proud of my country", was uttered by tens of thousands of Chicagoans that night and by millions of Americans . Its what I felt. Not just satisfaction in the victory of Barack Obama, but the knowledge that it took more than black votes to accomplish this highest of goals. It took millions of Americans including a considerable amount of white voters to accomplish this mandate. In the end proving that it was not about race, but about the two candidates and how they handled the issues and challenging situations they were faced with.
That was what I was most proud of. Not that we elected a black president, but that we elected the best candidate for the job, who happens to be black.
Tomorrow I will post a slideshow of photographs taken by me on my geeky groupy picture takin' palosa
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Man Tagged
One of my two readers has tagged me. I feel honored. I felt honored as soon as my wife explained to me the importance of being tagged. Then I felt honored and important. I was tagged by this lady. Let's see, random facts, and 7 of them.
5. I have been trying to learn to speak Danish for over 7 years. I can only say 'the pink car is old'. This does not come up very often in conversation either. Danish is very difficult.
6. I was educated by Quakers for the first 8 years of schooling. And no, I did not wear those funky shoes with the big buckles.
7) As an 8 year old I looted a jar of peanut butter which I shared with my fellow 8 year old accomplis. As a result we both got very sick.
1. I was born with 6 fingers. On one hand. Unfortunately, a surgeon removed my extra finger just after I was born. I would have like to have kept it. I think it would have made me very interesting. I do not get to brag about this as often as I would like, because it does not come up in conversation easily.
2. The first time I visited with my mother in law we went for a walk. She lived in a very white, upper crust European neighborhood. The kind with tree lined streets, cobblestoned sidewalks, and lots of classy Europeans walking insane, and tiny little dogs. I lost my balance and fell on top of her. She was carrying groceries. I was holding a cigar that I was smoking. The groceries rolled all over the tree lined street. My mother in law broke her arm in 3 places. I am a big guy. I did not drop my cigar though. The classy Europeans and their little annoying dogs thought that I had mugged her. I could see it in their faces. My mother in law forgave me eventually and was mostly mad at me because I had ruined her golf game for the summer.
3. I won an Emmy a long time ago. My wife dropped it during our move and it broke. She has not told me this yet. But I figured it out when I saw it in the back of her car. She tried to cover it up with some bags. She reads my blog once in a blue moon, so now she will know that I know. She will blame her sister.
4. I won a singing contest on a cruise liner once. I sang 'Someone to Watch over Me' and rocked the boat.
4. I won a singing contest on a cruise liner once. I sang 'Someone to Watch over Me' and rocked the boat.
5. I have been trying to learn to speak Danish for over 7 years. I can only say 'the pink car is old'. This does not come up very often in conversation either. Danish is very difficult.
6. I was educated by Quakers for the first 8 years of schooling. And no, I did not wear those funky shoes with the big buckles.
7) As an 8 year old I looted a jar of peanut butter which I shared with my fellow 8 year old accomplis. As a result we both got very sick.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Words Matter..
Did you see McCain and Obama yucking it up at the Al Smith Dinner? I have to admit I had no idea who Al Smith was until I saw this on the news. Yeah, like you knew who he was. Anyway, I thought they were both very funny. Especially John McCain. It made it almost a shame that that John McCain didn't show more in this campaign. I never thought of Barack Obama being a funny but he pulled it off.
The television networks played the jokes all day long but the best part for me were Senator Obama's comments at the end about the people that were not as fortunate to be dress in white tie and tails.
I think that Governor Palin is a good communicator as well. She deliver the party line in a way that is understandable in a plain spoken way. Either way, eloquent or plain spoken words matter When you use them to accuse someone of being anti American, not like us, a terrorist. These words incite responses like "traitor" and "kill him."
Hopefully, words of compassion, empathy and unity can be just as powerful.
The television networks played the jokes all day long but the best part for me were Senator Obama's comments at the end about the people that were not as fortunate to be dress in white tie and tails.
I think that Governor Palin is a good communicator as well. She deliver the party line in a way that is understandable in a plain spoken way. Either way, eloquent or plain spoken words matter When you use them to accuse someone of being anti American, not like us, a terrorist. These words incite responses like "traitor" and "kill him."
Hopefully, words of compassion, empathy and unity can be just as powerful.
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