AIG Bonus Issue Is Just A Red Herring

So how does one run across the backs of alligators without getting eaten? First chum the waters with some red meat and while the critters are munching on the screaming bait you hot-foot across their backs.

Now use "AIG bonus issue" for the screaming red meat and use the snarling congressional panel for the alligators and the hot-footed one will be Goldman Sachs a.k.a. Government Sachs who will escape the glare and jaws of government, public and the news media.

Cui bono? Who profited from the enabling Commodity Futures Modernization Act of 2000? Goldman Sachs et all were the ones who introduced these financial derivatives products from hell that took down brokers, bankers and now threatens the world financial system. The products by law couldn't be regulated or have oversight by any agency including state gaming commissions! They planned well. The bonus babies at AIG are mere fodder at $160 million. AIG alone cost the taxpayers $180 billion for being Goldman Sachs' favorite customer who would say "yes" to any product that Goldman proposed.

But Goldman needed help from the federal government to get the Modernization Act of 2000 into law. For that job they recruited former Senator Phil Gramm of Texas, Senator Richard Lugar of Indiana and others. So government was equally criminally irresponsible for passing this law. That's why the bonus babies at AIG are being scapegoated.

Cultural, Financial & Poor Semantics Bottom?

One thing good about hitting bottom is that the next vector is assuredly up. Hopefully The U.S. and world financial meltdown will usher in a more sane use of laws, money and words.

A sane use of laws and words would include more regulation of the financial markets. This would offset the criminal provisions of the Commodity Futures Modernization Act Of 2000. The Act allowed the constructive legal-criminal swindle by Wall Street investment banks via the Acts provision that " specifically banned regulation of credit default swaps" and "over-the-counter energy trades and trading on electronic energy commodity markets". The notion that the Act and its verbiage orders no regulation is somehow legal and a worthy piece of regulation is an oxymoron on its face. This Act led largely to the collapse of Wall Street and $147.00 oil . It endangers economies worldwide. Words do matter. Laws do matter. Political correctness and the misnamed Commidity Futures Modernization Act lead to the wrong conclusions.

The financial mess is welcome in some ways. Certainly there will be less or no money for wars of choice. Social problems that perpetuate dependence will have to be cut back and Washington has been exposed as more part of the problem rather than the solution. We need more states rights with taxes and individual behavior being more of a local affair.