[quote name='Sr2oD3' date='Jan 27 2009, 11:41 AM'] it's one of the two, either blame the government for stepping in to advise a company to not throw money away or complain about the bank spending your money poorly.

you can not please some people

 

The free market is what got citigroup into this mess. Free market seemed to work so well for them their stock is in the tank and they're only still around because they have taken $45 billion from the government. If they don't want anybody to tell them what to do then they should have managed their company better.

 

Which is why you're not calling the shots.

Bailing out banks was not so that people could continue to fill their closets with Prada bags and Gucci slippers. The fact remains, the banks were bailed out so that businesses that rely on loans/credit to run, could continue to run. In case you still don't understand the implication here... That means regular people get to keep their jobs, thereby preventing the credit crisis from growing any larger. Instead, the banks are taking the bailout money they received and treating it as "free money" that they'll never have to repay.

If the banks would simply manage themselves properly in the first place, they'd have never tried to make a quick buck by granting loans to people/businesses that did not deserve them. If large manufacturing companies managed themselves properly, they'd have never grown out of control and delivered poor quality products with high production costs. If people would manage themselves properly, they'd all have a savings to fall back on, would learn to live without Prada bags to hold their leased BMW keys and 250 maxed out credit cards. Which brings us back to the banks...

Say what you will, but without regulating the stupidity that's been running a muck the last 50 years, America (and some parts of the world) will never climb out of this dung heap.

 

why? because the states can't take care of their own shit? you know how much more effecient we'd be if we'd let local government do their jobs? you know how much easier it would be to hold people accountable when they make poor decisions?

but what do I know? I think this country has become a bunch of bullshit to begin with. too much emphasis on consumerism, too much reliance on debt, advertisments everywhere you look. if our forefathers were around to see what we'd become, chances are we'd still be part of england.

but maybe its the anarchist in me who thinks we'd be in a better place if this country fell apart and we were given a chance to rebuild it.

until then, we let big-daddy government "fix" all our problems, like how they've "fixed" our healthcare and education. our government can't fix shit. all it does is create more problems. and then we try to fix other countries problems? ha!

so yeah, we can bail out everyone.... and in 50 years when the majority of our income goes to taxes because of the hundreds of billions we've spent on wars that mean nothing to us, and gross mismanagement of companies, and all that shit hits the fan again because we won't learn a thing from all this and make the same mistakes all over again, and look: we're right back here at square one. its like bailing out GM and Dodge.... they still make inferior products, and still can't pull a profit. we pump money into them, keeping them from filing chapter 11. they need to go under so they can be restructured.

nah, lets keep status quo.

after all, take a look around you. we seem to be doing fine, right? flip on the television, and watch people sell their souls for publicity and notoriety on reality tv shows. see tween brats complain about their 16th birthdays. see celebrities get paid rediculous sums of money to read lines written by people who make a fraction what they do. see how our society is dominated by image, sex, money, and power.

sure, things are just peachy.

/rant

 

QFMFT

 

Wait, I'm confused - are you ranting about 1) Citi being told to not buy a $50mil jet? Or are you ranting about 2) the TARP program to begin with? Or are you ranting about 3) the financial issues? Or even more broadly, are you ranting about 4) American society/politics in general?

While there are certainly issues with #2, #3 and #4 they are what they are right now, and given that reality, #1 is a very good thing IMO.

 

That's right. Otherwise, Hank is gonna get really angry.

 

I think a biotch slap would have been make the execs resign w/ no bonus or severance paid, just as a company would fire any incompetent employee.

 

Unfortunately it is still us, the taxpayers, who are getting pwned. Stupid-high salaries and bonuses ? Check.

I read somewhere that 9 out 10 execs at companies who took TARP money are still in place. What other businesses could you fail that badly at and still be employed?!

 

While I'm not for the purchase of a $50 mill jet (especially from the French lol), lets look at both sides of the story to be fair. What will the Jet really be used for? Will it bring in enough money to pay for itself quickly and benefit the company? Will it in any way help save the company time and money? Or will it be a luxury item for a company that has no business spending that amount of cash on a freaking jet? Heres an idea: Lease the Jet or buy a used one! Lets get all the facts first...