Blankfein

I've always found this Olympic caliber sociopathic greedhead to be slightly more galling than the rest of the Wall Street Sociopath/Titans of Finance. This m-f'er pulls in 16 million a year in compensation for doing his "God's work". Seriously, that is an exact quote from him describing how he earns his living.

Based on his suggestion to raise the retirement age and lower the expectations for SS confirms he has the grasp of economics of a fifth grader that has no access to the internet or public library.

Does he have any clue as to what the working life of an average blue collar worker is like? Carpenters, construction workers, auto repairmen, carpet installers, drywall people, heavy equipment operators, tree surgeons, and all others that do strenuous physical work for a living usually have their bodies noticeably breaking down in their late fifties and spend the balance of their working life in severe pain, unless they opt for the cushy Walmart Greeter gigs, for the lavish health insurance free minimum wage.

Ezra says the life expectancy for blue collar people that do physical work has only gone up 1-1/2 years in the same time period the White collar folks live ten years longer.

AND WHAT SORT OF FUCKING JOB IS A 65 YEAR OLD GOING TO GET ANYWAY?

There are so many of us in America that were white collar workers that were surprised to become layoff fodder once they reached fifty! There are so many of us on DU with stories of spending over a year to find a job somewhat comparable to what we lost in our last layoff. Or scaling back and adjusting to a subsistence lifestyle foregoing all the goodies of modern life we used to take for granted.

I think most rational and well educated economists would argue that the best thing for employment, the economy and growing the SS fund bigger is to lower the retirement age to 60 and perhaps even earlier. (Thom Hartmann argues eloquently about this) This would make room for so many young people struggling to enter the workforce and score a "good job". To make people work until seventy is not only cruel to the old people, it is denying the chance for young people to make their way into the world with a good job and hopes for a good future.

I don't know what this Blankfein does at work to justify his lavish salary, because he certainly is ignorant about economic basics if he argues that raising the retirement age is somehow good for anybody, including the general economy. The only thing Lloyd will get if his suggestions are implemented is an Ebenezer Scrooge-like enjoyment over inflicting so much cruelty to so many people.

I have a bumper sticker on my Ranger tailgate:

OUR INSTITUTIONS ARE INFESTED WITH CORRUPT SOCIOPATHS

I should add Blankfein's picture to it.

-90% jimmy