Post-Android Meme Milieu becomes art form
purple
[Goldman's secret moral pathology:
15 symptoms of a Wall Street disease destroying democracy and
capitalism
By Paul B. Farrell, MarketWatch
Nov. 24, 2009,
ARROYO GRANDE, Calif. (MarketWatch) -- In "The Battle for the Soul of
Capitalism" Jack Bogle no longer sees Adam Smith's "invisible hand"
driving "capitalism in a healthy, positive direction."
Today, his "Happy Conspiracy" of Wall Street plus co-conspirators in
Washington and Corporate America are spreading a contagious
"pathological mutation of capitalism" driven by the new "invisible
hands" of this new "mutant capitalism," serving their selfish agenda
in a war to totally control America's democracy and capitalism.
Sadly for America Goldman's disease is rapidly becoming a pandemic
spreading beyond Wall Street's too-greedy-to-fail banks, infecting our
economy, markets and government as it metastasizes globally.The
"Goldman Conspiracy" is the perfect B-school case study of Wall
Street's secret contagious pathology, with insiders like Lloyd
Blankfein, Henry Paulson and others pocketing billions more of the
firm's profits than shareholders, evidence the new "mutant capitalism"
has replaced Adam Smith's 1776 version which historically endowed the
soul of American democracy as well as our capitalistic system.
What are the symptoms of this growing "soul sickness," this
"pathological mutation of capitalism" Bogle fears? Recently we
reviewed the consequences of this "soul sickness."
Today we'll paraphrase news reports about 15 symptoms spreading "soul
sickness" beyond the boundaries of this Goldman case study: These are
the 15 signs of a moral pathology undermining not just banking but
American democracy and capitalism.
1. Gross denial of any moral damage caused by their rampant greed
Seeking Alpha: "Goldman is America's most hated corporation." We cheer
as Rolling Stone's Matt Taibbi calls Goldman "a giant vampire squid
wrapped around the face of humanity." Banks triggered a global crisis.
Main Street suffers. Greedy bank CEOs raid the Treasury then stuff $30
billion in their bonus pockets, up 60% from last year. They are our
21st century General Motors, convinced "What's good for Goldman is
good for America." We saw how that arrogance ended. Wall Street has
similar suicidal symptoms.
2. Narcissistic egomaniacs with secret 'God complexes'
London Times' John Arlidge interviewed Goldman CEO Blankfein: "He paid
himself $68 million in 2007, now worth more than $500 million, yet
insists he's a blue-collar guy. He says banking has a 'social
purpose,' just a banker 'doing God's work.'" When I was at Morgan
Stanley in the 1970s the firm ran an ad: "If God Wanted To Do a
Financing, He Would Call Morgan Stanley."
Today, all of Wall Street is dual diagnosed: They're morally blind
money addicts who believe they're "God's chosen." AA would say: They
haven't "bottomed," won't recover from their disease till a disaster
hits, with another market meltdown and the "Great Depression 2." Then
maybe they'll "quit playing God."
3. Paranoid obsessives about secrecy, guilt and non-disclosure
Bloomberg: "New York Fed's Secret Deal: Taxpayers paid $13 billion
more than necessary when government officials, acting in secret, made
deals with banks on AIG, buying $62 billion of credit-default swaps
from AIG." The government would eventually cover about $180 billion in
AIG swaps backing toxic CDOs when Paulson and Ben Bernanke double-
teamed to bailout Goldman, saving them from bankruptcy.
4. Power-hungry need to control government using Trojan Horses
Wall Street Journal: "For a year Goldman said it wouldn't have
suffered damage if AIG collapsed. But a new report kills that claim.
TARP inspector general found that then New York Fed Chair Tim Geithner
gave away the farm. If AIG had collapsed, Goldman would have had to
cover the losses itself. They couldn't collect on the protection of
AIG swaps." Yes, Goldman was bankrupt. But friends in high places
always save them.
5. Borderline personalities who regularly ignore conflicts of interest
New York Times: "Before becoming Treasury secretary in 2006, Hank
Paulson agreed to hold himself to a higher ethical standard than his
predecessors. He specifically said he'd avoid his old buddies at
Goldman where he was CEO. Later Congress saw many conflicts of
interest, not just meetings but favorable treatment for his buddies at
Goldman."
6. Pathological liars incapable of honesty even with own investors
McClatchy News: "Goldman secretly bet on the U.S. housing crash after
peddling more than $40 billion of securities backed by 200,000 risky
home mortgages. But they never told their investors they were also
secretly betting that a drop in housing prices could wipe out the
value of those securities." Paulson knew, stayed silent. "Only later
did their investors discover Goldman's triple-A investments were junk.
Did Goldman's failure to disclose its bets on an imminent housing
crash violate securities laws?" Boston University Prof. Laurence
Kotlikoff says: "This is fraud, should be prosecuted." But it won't be
in the new "mutant capitalism."
Members of AA say you know when an alcoholic is lying: Their lips are
moving. Same with Wall Street: Think liar's poker. It's in their DNA.
They're compulsive liars trapped in a culture of secrecy. They lie,
the lies cascade, memory slips, more lies are necessary, they cannot
stop lying. Goldman sure can't ... look, their lips are moving again.
7. Sole fiduciary duty to insiders, not investors, never the public
New York Examiner: "Goldman was at the heart of the subprime market,
selling subprime junk as no-risk AAA bonds, then gambling, hedging,
shorting their investors. Goldman traded like Enron. That set up the
meltdown. The Fed and Goldman's ex-CEO at Treasury saved Goldman.
Taxpayers got stuck with the bill. Bailout overseer Elizabeth Warren
called this reckless gambling. Trend forecaster Gerald Celente calls
it mafia-style looting.
8. Moral issues are PR glitches, violations of 'don't get caught' rule
USA Today says "Goldman Sachs should be celebrating. Yet, the mood at
the investment bank seems to be one of crisis about the public
backlash over employees' bonuses." So Goldman's on a PR blitz in a bid
to undo the damage. They canceled their Christmas party. Also launched
a $500 million program for small businesses. Get it? They can't see
their moral failings, only a PR problem, so they hire PR agents and
crisis managers first.
9. Charitable donations are tax and PR opportunities, not moral issues
New York Times: Examined Goldman charitable foundation's tax filing:
Thick as a phone book with more than 200 pages of trades. "Never seen
anything like it," said Verne Sedlacek, president of Commonfund, a $25
billion fund for universities and nonprofits. The money to Goldman's
foundation is dwarfed by insiders' bonuses. The foundation got $400
million, gave away $22 million. Bonuses were 20 times more. Even the
New York Post said "Goldman's Born Again Image is Laughable." They're
sleaze-ball cheapskates.
10. When exposed in a massive fraud, feign humility, fake an apology
CBS MoneyWatch: "Blankfein now says he's 'sorry for the role Goldman
played in the housing crisis: We participated in things that were
clearly wrong.'" Wrong? Sounds more like he's admitting to something
"clearly criminal." Reread: Isn't he admitting guilt to a fraud;
cheating millions of homeowners, shareholders, taxpayers? Then laughs
at us with phony "restitution," a fund of $100 million annually for
five years to small-business owners. Financial Times says "$100
million is the profits from one good trading day. In 3Q '09 they had
36 days better than that." Unfortunately, these crooks will get away
with it.
11. When bankruptcy threatens, bribe friends in 'Happy Conspiracy'
Barron's: While Geithner was "showcasing what a great investment
Washington made in Goldman, the 23% return on the $5 billion of the
taxpayers money, Warren Buffett's deal made him a fabulous 120%
return. Goldman's stock ran up to $180 from $115, a gain of $2.8
billion. Add 8% discount on warrants, another $3.2 billion to him."
12. Engage co-conspirators to cover up, distract, do your dirty work
Reuters: "Former Merrill Lynch CEO John Thain was fired after a
scandal over the billions in Merrill bonuses. He says big insider
bonuses don't cause excessive risk-taking nor the financial crisis."
He blames "poor risk management, excessive leverage and too much
liquidity for too long. But even if they tie bonuses to long-term
performance, that won't prevent the next collapse." Why? They'll find
new ways to break the moral code.
13. As money-hungry vultures they will prey on vulnerable Americans
McClatchy News: "An obscure Goldman subsidiary spent years buying
hundreds of thousands of subprime mortgages, many from the more
unsavory lenders. They repackaged them as high-yield bonds. The bottom
fell out. Now, after years of refusing to disclose they owned the
mortgages, the secret is out and Goldman has become one of America's
biggest, greediest foreclosers." Yes, the vampire squid wants pounds
of flesh.
14. Treat everyone not in the 'Happy Conspiracy' with tough love
HuffPost's Leo Leopold warns: "Each day reveals how we've traded away
our sense of decency and the common good in exchange for pure greed.
Unemployment means hunger. The Agriculture Department reports 49
million Americans don't have enough food, up 13 million over the last
year, highest number ever." Wall Street treats anyone not in the
"Happy Conspiracy" as morally defective capitalists in need of "tough
love."
15. Addicts consumed by money: 'Jesus would throw them out ...'
New York Times' Maureen Dowd: "Goldman's trickle-down catechism isn't
working. We have two economies. In the past decade Wall Street's
shared little with society. Their culture is totally money-obsessed.
There's always room for a bigger house, bigger boat. If not, you're
falling behind. It's an addiction. And Washington's done little to
quell it. Geithner coddles wanton bankers. Obama's absent. 'Saturday
Night Live' was tougher. And as far as doing God's work: The bankers
who took taxpayer money, pocketing obscene bonuses: They're the same
greedy types Jesus threw out of the temple."
Warning: Washington, Main Street, none of us has "clean hands." We're
all in bed with the "Happy Conspiracy," touched by greed, turning a
blind eye to Wall Street's rapidly metastasizing moral and spiritual
pathology: So ask yourself, do you believe America's widespread "lack
of a moral compass" will eventually trigger another, bigger market and
economic meltdown, pushing America into the next "Great Depression
II?"]
The GREAT Bob Dobbs