News & Comment
Blogs and Opinion
A Banker Bonus Dilemma for Reformers by Sam Pizzigati, OurFuture.org | January 17, 2010
Would a stiff tax on banker bonuses blunt Wall Street profiteering — or let the vast majority of America's wealthy off the hook? read more »Too Much Little Ball? Day 2 of the Financial Inquiry Commission (Update) by Les Leopold, OurFuture.org | January 14, 2010
After two days of hearings, the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission seems to be drifting away from the biggest questions that haunt our economic system like the oligopoly of banks that are far too big to fail, the mal-distribution of wealth, and the failure to prevent destructive financial innovations. read more »Drinking the “Financial Innovation” Kool-Aid? by Les Leopold, OurFuture.org | January 14, 2010
You can smell it on their breath – the tell-tale fumes of “financial innovation.” Drink it and you start to believe that financial innovation actually exists. The commissioners and their witnesses are being ever so careful to insist that our economy will make room for it, not discourage it, not to over-regulate it , and to find market forces to enhance it. read more »Day 2 at the Financial Crisis Hearings: Sheila Bair Has Something to Say, Does the Commission Hear Her? by Les Leopold, OurFuture.org | January 14, 2010
Shelia Bair, the head of the FDIC, is the first witness get near to addressing the major underlying causes of the crisis: the distended, distorted nature of our finance-heavy economy. She discussed “economic distortions” and the “disproportional” size of financial profits in our economy. She said that during the 1950s and 1960s financial profits accounted for 15 percent of all corporate profits. By 2008 they had metastasized to 34 percent. read more »Day One Summary: The Big Boys Got Away and the Big Questions Weren't Asked by Les Leopold, OurFuture.org | January 13, 2010
The heads of Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan Chase, Morgan Stanley and Bank of America came to testify and said........just about nothing. read more »Humanity Amid The Wall Street Sociopaths by Robert Johnson, OurFuture.org | January 13, 2010
The Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission hearings began belatedly this morning. Carrying a structure of decision-making that appears to be designed to make it hard to get things done, Chairman Phil Angelides has a gargantuan task before him. read more »Expert Witnesses Say it Like It Is by Les Leopold, OurFuture.org | January 13, 2010
In its second panel, the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission, heard from Kyle Bass, of Hayman Financail Advisors, who read a statement that had some real dynamite it. I don't know this guy, but it's pretty clear no PR flack scripted him. read more »Are They Letting the Big Boys Off the Hook? by Les Leopold, OurFuture.org | January 13, 2010
As of noon on Day 1, the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission is not playing hard ball with the CEOs of the largest financial institutions in the world. The commissioners have a golden moment to puncture the myths that justify Wall Street’s enormous grab of America’s wealth. In addition to the AIG/GeithnerGate questions mentioned in the previous post, here are a few questions that they failed to ask this mornting: read more »Round One: Angelides Throws First Punch, Goldman Sachs Unscathed by Les Leopold, OurFuture.org | January 13, 2010
In the first skirmish of the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission, Chairman Phil Angelides attempted to nail Lloyd Blankfein, Goldman Sachs CEO with a left hook: "Would your institution have gone under were it not for the bailouts?" Blankfein successfully parried the punches by saying no one knows...that they were doing the best they could...better than most. . read more »The Perp Walk at the Financial Crisis Inquiry Hearings by Les Leopold, OurFuture.org | January 13, 2010
The first panel to testify on Wednesday before the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission features a who’s who of high financial crimes and misdemeanors. Here’s the lineup. read more »
The Latest
A culture of bullying and greed: Wanted - interns for Goldman Sachs... , independent.co.uk | October 17, 2012
WikiLeaks Is Down After Denial of Service Attacks, mashable.com | August 9, 2012
After five days of denial of service attacks, the WikiLeaks website has been knocked out. more »The Spreading Scourge of Corporate Corruption, The New York Times | July 11, 2012
Perhaps the most surprising aspect of the Libor scandal is how familiar it seems. Sure, for some of the world’s leading banks to try to manipulate one of the most important interest rates in contemporary finance is clearly egregious. more »Needy States Use Housing Aid Cash to Plug Budgets, The New York Times | May 16, 2012
Vermont Legislature Passes Resolution Challenging Citizens United, commondreams.org | April 21, 2012
Goldman Sachs: Lloyd Blankfein 'disappointed' by claims of 'toxic' greed, telegraph.co.uk | March 14, 2012
Legal Fees Mount at Fannie and Freddie, The New York Times | February 22, 2012
Taxpayers have advanced almost $50 million in legal payments to defend former executives of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in the three years since the government rescued the giant mortgage companies, a regulatory analysis has found.
Memo
To: DOJ Funky fascist America Dept
Subject: Accountability more »Apple investigates 'sweat shop' factories following suicide threat, telegraph.co.uk | February 13, 2012
The technology giant, which has faced criticism over working conditions at some of its suppliers’ plants in China, said today that it had asked the Fair Labor Association (FLA) to conduct “special voluntary audits” of several facilities, including factories owned b more »On the Trail of Mortgage Fraud, The New York Times | January 17, 2012
When is a crime not a crime?
When criminality subverts the system, challenges the system, becomes the system. From the Kleptocrats' point of view it is the systematic breakdown of each and every law which gets in their way; preventing the ascent to power of their enhanced moral values.
The Kleptocrats are really America's third political party.
Help Stop SOPA/PIPA Breaking The Internet, wordpress.org | January 14, 2012
You are an agent of change. Has anyone ever told you that? Well, I just did, and I meant it.
