I feel a little lost tonight. Empty inside.

[MannyGoldstein]

For the first time in many years, Timmy Geithner is no longer protecting us at Treasury or the Fed.

Who can we turn to?

I'm a little scared.

Sincerely yours,

America's Bankers

[AverageJoe90]

1. First rec, Manny.....

Yeah, you're welcome, btw.

[MannyGoldstein]

11. Thank you

I take comfort from your support. More so from your cash. Send it to me.

[obxhead]

2. Bwahahaha

rec

[ZombieHorde]

3. Thoughts 3/4 through OP: WTF?

Thoughts after whole OP: Ha! Awesome.

[Liberal_in_LA]

4. hee!

good one

[forestpath]

5. Dear America's Bankers:

You should know by now there is no need to worry! If there is one group President Obama will protect and keep from being held accountable for anything from throwing dying homeowners out on the street to tanking the economy, it is you guys!
Sincerely yours,
Everyone you've ever gotten away with screwing over.

[DogPawsBiscuitsNGrav]

6. + 100 we'll see no change there.

[madinmaryland]

7. I understand Alan "irrational exuberance" Greenspan is available.

[gateley]

36. I was just thinking of him today --

we haven't heard a peep in ages. I'm not complaining, mind you, just wondered if he's okay (again, not that I really care). He always looked 100 years old and teetering on death's doorstep.

[awoke_in_2003]

42. He is too busy...

organizing bankers to sue us for bailing them out.

[Emit]

8. hahahaha!

good one

[dimbear]

9. Usually when you feel empty inside, you should eat something. In the bankers' case,

that would be America's middle class.

[Wednesdays]

10. Dear Bankers,

If you're feeling lost and empty inside, I am SURE it isn't beyond your means to use your GPS to find your way to get wined and dined at Masa or Jean Georges.

[MynameisBlarney]

12. Be afraid...

Be very afraid.

[another_liberal]

13. Now that . . .!

Now that is funny!

[triplepoint]

14. Jump You Fuckers!

You'll Feel So Much Better...or not....Try not to hurt the pavement, and curl up in a ball so you'll have a "small carbon footprint" when you go splaaaaaaaaaaaat!



.
.

[Maynar]

15. Always

Always loved that one.

Fo' real, yo.

[gateley]

38. Me, too!

[rhett o rick]

52. I love it to, but think it's a sad message that all we have to fight the bastards

is cardboard signs.

[BuelahWitch]

16. My heart is breaking for those poor, dear bankers!

[BlueStreak]

17. Would you like to guess how many banksters are prosecuted during Obama's last 4 years?

Hint: most likely the same number that were prosecuted during his first 4 years.

Reagan got over 1000 convictions of banksters after the Savings and Loan crisis, which was a tiny fraction of the size of the 2008 fraud.

http://www.financialsense.com/contributors/william-black/2011/11/25/banking-system-rotten-to-the-core

[ProSense]

19. That's because during

"Reagan got over 1000 convictions of banksters after the Savings and Loan crisis, which was a tiny fraction of the size of the 2008 fraud. "

...the S&L crisis, which is often held up as the model for what should have happened, Glass-Steagall was still the law of the land. Enron happened post the repeal of that law.

It's fascinating that none of the discussions about the prosecution of financial crimes ever includes the ramifications of the repeal of Glass-Steagall. There is often the demand to bring it back, but no analysis of the role repealing it played in removing the illegality of many of the banks' actions.

Now, there were myriad crimes and some of them were undoubtedly illegal, but given the repeal of Glass-Steagall, how many fell within the boundaries of the post-repeal legal landscape and were simply unethical acitivities?

During the PBS interview with Lanny Breuer, he stated:

If you look at what we and the U.S. attorney community did, I think you have to take a step back. Over the last couple of years, we have convicted Raj Rajaratnam, one of the largest hedge fund leaders. Now, you’ll say that’s an insider trading case, but it’s clearly going after Wall Street.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/business-economy-financial-crisis/untouchables/lanny-breuer-financial-fraud-has-not-gone-unpunished

Hedge Fund Founder Raj Rajaratnam Sentenced in Manhattan Federal Court to 11 Years in Prison for Insider Trading Crimes
http://www.stopfraud.gov/news/news-10132011.html

There were others:

Former Chief Investment Officer of Stanford Financial Group Pleads Guilty to Obstruction of Justice
http://www.stopfraud.gov/iso/opa/stopfraud/2012/12-crm-785.html

Former Corporate Chairman of Consulting Firm and Board Director Rajat Gupta Found Guilty of Insider Trading in Manhattan Federal Court
http://www.stopfraud.gov/iso/opa/stopfraud/NYS-120615.html

CEO and Head Trader of Bankrupt Sentinel Management Indicted in Chicago in Alleged $500 Million Fraud Scheme Prior to Firm’s 2007 Collapse
http://www.stopfraud.gov/iso/opa/stopfraud/ILN-120601.html

Yahoo! Executive and California Hedge Fund Portfolio Manager Plead Guilty in New York for Insider Trading
http://www.stopfraud.gov/iso/opa/stopfraud/NYS-120521.html

Three Former Financial Services Executives Convicted for Roles in Conspiracies Involving Investment Contracts for the Proceeds of Municipal Bonds
http://www.stopfraud.gov/iso/opa/stopfraud/2012/12-at-620.html

Former Chairman of Taylor, Bean & Whitaker Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison and Ordered to Forfeit $38.5 Million
http://www.stopfraud.gov/news/news-06302011-2.html
http://www.stopfraud.gov/iso/opa/stopfraud/2012/12-crm-342.html

Former Chief Financial Officer of Taylor, Bean & Whitaker Pleads Guilty to Fraud Scheme
http://www.stopfraud.gov/iso/opa/stopfraud/2012/12-crm-342.html

Seattle Investment Fund Founder Sentenced to 18 Years in Prison for Ponzi Scheme and Bankruptcy Fraud
http://www.stopfraud.gov/iso/opa/stopfraud/WAW-120210.html

Former Hedge Fund Managing Director Sentenced to 20 Years for Defrauding 900 Investors in $294 Million Scheme
http://www.stopfraud.gov/iso/opa/stopfraud/ILN-111117.html

http://www.stopfraud.gov/news-index.html

Why were those crimes prosecuted and not others?

There has never been a full discussion of the role the repeal of Glass-Steagall played in facilitating the crisis.

[MannyGoldstein]

23. Ok, please enlighten us

Last edited Sat Jan 26, 2013, 12:12 PM - Edit history (1)

What did the repeal of Glass-Steagal have to do with the precipitous drop in investigations and convictions of bankers?

What did G-S have to do with S&Ls at all?

Thanks.

[awoke_in_2003]

18. I say the Walton kids...

they know what is best for this country.









And by Walton I mean John Boy

[Wednesdays]

47. I thought maybe you meant Bill

[awoke_in_2003]

48. ...

[jtuck004]

20. Manny, there is no reason to be scared., you are among friends here.

But if it will make you feel better, you could always go out and find a mugger beating up on a aging, vulnerable woman, and slip him a $100 bill, ignoring the crime because it's not your job to report it.

It'll be almost like he is here with us again.

[NCTraveler]

26. That should not have made me laugh.

But it did. How accurate.

[jtuck004]

57. Let me give you further reason not to laugh...

It's not made up...

...
For Tourre, 31, Tuesday's appearance before the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations represented his first public appearance to personally answer the charges against him. Since the SEC unveiled its civil suit against Goldman Sachs, Tourre has been heavily scrutinized, thanks to emails released by the SEC and later, Goldman.
...

In June 2007, Tourre wrote in an e-mail to his girlfriend: "Just made it to the country of your favorite clients!!! I'm managed (sic) to sell a few abacus bonds to widow and orphans that I ran into at the airport, apparently these Belgians adore synthetic abs cdo2,"

Referencing colleague Daniel Sparks, who managed the mortgages department at Goldman, Tourre wrote in a March 7, 2007, that "according to Sparks, that business is totally dead, and the poor little subprime borrowers will not last so long!!!"

During the testimony, Tourre said he regrets sending those e-mails.

Here.

One could potentially find scummier people, but it would take effort.

[Egalitarian Thug]

21. Did you happen to catch the blow job NPR gave him tonight?

It boiled down to, "Earth wasn't struck by a giant asteroid, so he did a great job".
&R

[bread_and_roses]

40. I didn't, but what else is there to expect from

what we fondly call National Propaganda Radio? Whatever is the current "wisdom," we can count on NPR to ballyhoo it. Whatever the drawling, oh-so-world-weary Maura Lyerson - or whatever her name is- or the "ha-ha-I'm-inside-the-halls-of-power-and-you-aren't" Cokie Robertson hears everywhere else and repeats as if it's some great insider info ...

[Egalitarian Thug]

54. There's just no getting back through the looking glass. We're going to live in this insanity

for the rest of our lives, being told by fools that it's always been this way.

[UnrepentantLiberal]

22. Fear no more, Third Way Manny.

We got this.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/101653990

[MannyGoldstein]

24. The ability to stay out of jail is, of course, important. But...

it's only part of the equation. The genius of Timmy Geithner was his ability to divert epic amounts of muppet taxpayer cash into our pockets.

[NCTraveler]

25. I know we were told time and time again that Timmy was one of a kind.

He was the only one that could help to get us out of the mess. But rest assured, there are thousands more out there just like him.

Rest well America's Bankers.

[MannyGoldstein]

28. Others may disagree:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/101654038

Nobody breaks out the canapes like Timmy.

[NCTraveler]

29. He dropped a canape on the floor one time.

I rushed over and picked it up. It tasted amazing. I thought he would be mad but he smiled in approval. It was a great moment for me. I will never forget the joy he brought to my life in that brief moment.

[gateley]

41. His generosity and compassion -- heartwarming!!!

[MannyGoldstein]

43. When you stood up, was your wallet gone? Nt

[xchrom]

27. du rec. nt

[LisaLynne]

30. Bwaahaa. Funny! And so are the comments.

I guess we have to laugh or we'd all just be wallowing in tears.

[bluedigger]

31. No wallowing allowed.

They need those tears for fracking fluids.

[undeterred]

32. Lassie came home?

[coldbeer]

33. Perfect timing!!!!

I was feeling poorly having read about statutory rape.

I knew Obama appointed this woman, I'll get her name
later. She kicks ass. My long face then hit your post.
I was convulsing is laughter a second later!

This is so funny! I have not read one single post ... yet!

[n2doc]

34. Don't worry, Mary Jo White will be there for you

She understands banksters!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/101653990

[gateley]

35. Manny, brilliant!

Short, sweet, lethal!

[NoMoreWarNow]

37. don't worry, Jack Lew will happily hold the fort for the bankers

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

39. Sad and alarming. The price of politicians will probably go up.

[UrbScotty]

44. What's worse, they have to deal with Sen. Elizabth Warren!

Won't someone think of the (people who act like) children?

[just1voice]

45. It'll be OK, go watch some youtube videos and read some cartoons

Kitty cat pictures are also a high priority to the distractionists.

[Why Syzygy]

46. He narrowly escaped federal prison.

So far. You may yet get a chance to visit him in a new home, behind bars.

[Oilwellian]

49. Oh, no need to worry dear American Bankers

You'll be dancing to Skip To My Lew with Mary Jo in no time!

[47of74]

50. LOL

[PoliticAverse]

51. Bailout Ben has your backs (and your junk mortgages). n/t

[rhett o rick]

53. The bankers are not scared. I am sure they have many more "better" than Tim at the Heritage Fdn. nm

[Vinnie From Indy]

55. Cheers Manny!

Thanks for the laugh!

[Jackpine Radical]

56. Mayge if the pardon Bernie Madoff & beg him, he'd consider

taking the job.

[TheKentuckian]

58. Don't fret, Timmeh wouldn't leave us if it wasn't in equally capable hands or maybe even better.

An old Ben won't stop the cash from flowing, sleep well sweet prince, the morning to come will be at least as golden as the yesterday's for our "stakeholders".