Corrupt America

[markusf]

would you like to educate us about the wonders of proforma accounting Dans ?

[Ramo]

Yep, corporate welfare, bailouts, protectionism, our government is pretty damn corrupt.

[Boris Godunov]

Not everyone is going to know that, Fez. Get over it.

[KrazyHorse]

He actually holds Cuban citizenship, but is embarassed to admit it.

[markusf]

Originally posted by Ramo
Yep, corporate welfare, bailouts, protectionism, our government is pretty damn corrupt.

ON paper everything looks good.. Ever wonder where all that money goes? Ever wonder why companies still go under after a massive bailout and the money is nowhere to be found?

[Giancarlo]

Originally posted by KrazyHorse
He actually holds Cuban citizenship, but is embarassed to admit it.

Teehee... whats there to do in Cuba? Smoke cigars? No thanks....

[KrazyHorse]

You're plotting the downfall of capitalism as we speak.

[Giancarlo]

Originally posted by KrazyHorse
You're plotting the downfall of capitalism as we speak.

Umm... no.....

[SlowwHand]

Only in America could Markusf so blatantly disregard application of his assigned muppet avatar, and not get the spit kicked out of him.
Just think about that.

[markusf]

Originally posted by SlowwHand
Only in America could Markusf so blatantly disregard application of his assigned muppet avatar, and not get the spit kicked out of him.
Just think about that.

I am not in america, you backwards texas hick

[KrazyHorse]

Don't mess with Texas.

[David Floyd]

Implying I wanted to destroy the companies. No, I want to make them accountable. I'm not looking for alternatives to a privately-owned company, I'm looking for some damn accountability and regulatory oversight, as well as an end to corporate welfare. Is that so tough?

I assume you'll also suport an end to welfare for individuals, too, then - it's the same thing, giving money to people or entities that is not earned.

[KrazyHorse]

Welfare to individuals is right and necessary to give a decent life to all. Corporate welfare pads the pockets of those who already have enough.

If I steal a loaf of bread to feed my starving family, that's one thing. If I steal the Crown Jewels because I want an addition to my mansion it's another.

Give it up, David. We as a society have the moral responsibility to feed the hungry and clothe the poor. Giving our (collective) money to our economic betters is just plain stupid.

[Asher]

Originally posted by Boris Godunov
Your defensiveness about corporate America is pretty funny. Notice I didn't blame all corporations or all CEOs.

Hmmm. Well perhaps you should be far more careful with your wording, because you've clearly implied otherwise:

The point is good, though, that much of the current economic mess in the U.S. is due to the greed of corporate CEOs rather than the "inevitable market forces" like they claim. And the continued Wall Street stagnation is due to absolute distrust among investors of corporate leadership.

But many CEOs and corporate boards are exploiting their companies, looting them and then walking off with huge compensation packages.

Many people are going on shooting rampages, mugging elderly ladies, and raping small kittens, too. Why don't we start a thread about how corrupt people are and how clueless people are if they insist otherwise?

It's not just Enron, and if you think that's an isolated case, you must be the ******. It's a sickness all over corporate America, and now the general public is coming to distrust corporations as much as they do politicians (which is only fair).

There are bad apples in every bunch, it's just the bad ones that get the publicity. You're taking things way out of proportion if you think this is the "tip of the iceburg" and you're basically on one of those "the sky is falling" mentalities that socialists have been screaming for hundreds of years. The result? More capitalism. Keep it up though, you're making a difference.

I know you guys get hysterical whenever anyone dares to impugn your corporate masters, but I think the time has come that we lay the smack-down on these greedy bastards running the show. Dismantle the corporations? No. But make them accountable, dammit, and make it impossible for them to pull the kind of crap Enron did with Arthur Anderson, which was hoodwinking the investors until it was too late.

What the hell, Boris?
What Enron/Anderson did was illegal, and amazingly they were both punished as well. What more do you want? Do you want us to cut off the CEO's balls and hang it in your living room next to the riding crop?

[JohnIII]

Asher, just one thing. In a previous discussion, about plot comics, I said that you had tarred them all with the same brush. You said 'oh, you're so silly, obviosuly I didn't mean that.' And yet you try the exact same argument on Boris .