Currently, I’m reading Ron Suskind’s new book Confidence Men: Washington, Wall Street and the Education of a President. It is an eye opening story of the campaign to elect Barack Obama and the first three years of his presidency. Many books like this have been written about previous administrations, as you may recall the Bob Woodward trilogy during the Bush years. The book received the most publicity when the media picked up on the parts depicting Obama and many of his male cronies showing hostility towards women in his administration. It also highlights how the monstrous ObamaCare bill was conceived, deliberated and rammed through Congress. A move that led to the revival of the conservative movement and the birth of the Tea Party. Finally, it shows Obama’s incompetence, arrogance and downright dubiousness reminding us all what is at stake for this country if this man and his minions are allowed another four years.
One part of the book stood out. It was in a chapter called “Filling the Void” and it is relevant to what is going on today with the leftist Occupy Wall Street movement. When I read this, it spoke to me because it’s basically everything I want to say and more to these miscreants in this nation who call themselves “the 99%.” What the hell is that anyway? Do they even know? I saw an image on Facebook today and it pretty much sums it up:
That’s right. If these morons actually woke up to the fact that, the 1% is sitting in the White House and walking the halls of Congress and compounds of government, they would have the right message. That’s the message of Tea Party. It’s very simple: shrink government and/or limit its ability to do mischief. Remember the old saying, first do no harm. Until we get politicians and technocrats in the halls of government who really believe this—America is screwed. We will continue down the primrose path to fiscal insolvency and will become a third world nation.
Do I think corporate executives are angels? Do I think the various and sundry Goldman Sachs barons should get off scot-free? NO! I’m a Palinite. I think crony capitalism (big government + big corporate + special interests = average American gets bent over) is the single most important issue of our time. But why is the left’s answer to everything have to be “tax the rich! Bring down the banks! Bring it all down girl! Hey, hey—ho, ho! Redistribute the wealth!” There are very practical measures that could be taken and laws could be passed to curtail financial deviants from causing chaos in the markets—ie, ending OTC and credit default swaps, bringing back the Glass Steagall Act and the uptick rule. We don’t have get hysterical.
Lastly, I’m sick of burn outs in the liberal media, DNC and the king of all burnouts, Barack Hussein Obama, trying to compare OccupukeWall Street to the Tea Party. Please–you couldn’t shine the Tea Party and conservative spirit of America’s shoes. Tea Parties had hardly any violence at all, unless of course Obama’s SEIU union thugs showed up to beat on protestors. There were no drugs at Tea Parties. There was no one crapping on the American flag at Tea Parties. The American flag was flown, not the Communist flag. At Tea Parties, people brought copies of the Bible, Constitution & Federalist Papers, not the Communist Manifesto.
At Tea Parties, underage girls do not get molested. We don’t harbor criminals. When police ask us to leave an area, no tear gas is needed. The Tea Party left The National Mall cleaner than we found it.
What I’m trying to say to you Occupukes is, you may think it’s cool to protest in the streets now. The media may be giving you a platform now. Many in the communities you stink up are tolerating you—for now. However, slowly but surely the majority of Americans will grow tired of you. The majority—once called the silent majority—of Americans do not want to see their streets and neighborhoods desecrated. The majority of Americans want law and order, not mayhem and murder in the streets. And it seems like you are already wearing out your welcome in many communities.
When I visited the 9/11 Memorial on October 4th, 2011, I got to witness the filth at Zuccotti Park. I, like many, noticed the Occupukes carrying I-pads, phones, LL Bean gear, wearing Timberland boots—products all made by the very same corporations and so called “fat cats” in the “1%” you protest. Ivory Soap is made by a corporation too. So how’s about giving Procter & Gamble their due, go to a local drug store—also a corporation—buy a bar of soap and go occupy a shower.
And to my conservative American friends in the silent majority, now is not the time to let these leftist scum frame the debate. You need to educate those in your communities that this movement represents class warfare which is downright un-American. You need to make your voice heard to your local government and law enforcement and make it known that these protests will no longer be tolerated in your community.
Below is an excerpt from Suskind’s book. Never have I read such a cogent rant from a person making the case that it was also MAIN STREET and personal irresponsibility of many that helped cause the financial mess that this country is in. It’s time we all channel our inner Italian bricklayer and make our voices heard!
Mr.L
Excerpt from Confidence Men by Ron Suskind
Chapter: Filling The Void
On the evening of the Lehman anniversary, Carmine Visone booked the corner table on the patio at Bice. His table. In the year since he’d stepped back from the window of his Lehman office, he had restored a bit of balance to his life. He wasn’t sure what was next. He knew that, a year later, blaming Wal1 Street was not so simple. Santelli’s screed, which had launched the Tea Party’ struck Carmine, a lifelong Republican, in a place deep, where his angry, Italian bricklayer father had permanent residence. “Listen, guy, that house you got’ you couldn’t afford it. The car you got, the five of them you got’ you knew you couldn’t afford that.”
After a year of hearing Wall Street blamed for every ill in America, Carmine channeled his dad on the issue of personal responsibility. It was something of an anniversary present to everyone who found themselves overextended and deep in debt, at the end of Wall Street’s thirty-year
credit super- cycle.
“I submit to you, sir, that not only did you get what you deserve, but you got more than you deserve, so be grateful for the free ride that you had, because you never paid for it. So I’m asking you to give back what you didn’t use, because you can’t pay for everything that you did use, because somebody else is paying for it. You never belonged in that house, you never belonged in that car, you never belonged in those shoes, and you never belonged in that restaurant, because you never earned it. So don’t blame me because I manufacture capital, okay? You, on a personal level, sir, have an obligation to manage your own fucking life, not me.
“I submit to you, sir, that not only did you get what you deserve, but you got more than you deserve, so be grateful for the free ride that you had, because you never paid for it. So I’m asking you to give back what you didn’t use, because you can’t pay for everything that you did use, because somebody else is paying for it. You never belonged in that house, you never belonged in that car, you never belonged in those shoes, and you never belonged in that restaurant, because you never earned it. So don’t blame me because I manufacture capital, okay? You, on a personal level, sir, have an obligation to manage your own fucking life, not me.
The ocean doesn’t get condemned if someone drowns in it, okay? You went in the water, you went in over your head, you didn’t know how to swim, you ignored the signs, okay? Don’t blame me. That’s what the ocean does. The ocean floats people and the ocean drowns people. Don’t blame the ocean. you did it to yourself. And you wanna know something, too? Somewhere deep down in your soul you knew that going in. And you were trying to get away with it.
You know you didn’t earn it. No money down. No income verification. Okay. And you figured, ‘Well, I figure I can carry the monthly note. It doesn’t matter what I paid for it.’ you don’t look at the cost of these things; you look at the cost to carry these things. you’re banking on the
continuation of your ability to carry. Again, you don’t even know what you paid for the car. Because you knew what the monthly note was. It didn’t matter if you paid $ I million more or less for that house, because all that was an extra $300 in your monthly payment, so you were paying inflated prices, but it didn’t matter to you, because the monthly payment
was manageable. Until something happened, and all of a sudden the spigot was turned off and whatever it is that you were doing to create that personal income stream level, which, by the way was never ample . . .because you were banking on bonuses that you hadn’t earned yet, stock
options going up. Today’s bills with tomorrow’s earnings.
Not only did you spend money you didn’t have at the time, but you were spending money you never even got in the future. you were spending money that wasn’t even created yet. you wanna blame me for that? Where’s your responsibility your self-discipline? I have no sympathy.
I have no sympathy because you never should have been there to begin with. You should have exercised restraint every step of the way. Just because the drug dealer is on the corner) you could have walked right past him. You bought the drugs. I didn’t sell you the drugs, you bought the
drugs.”
Mr. L's Tavern 