March 30, 2009

Here we go:

A senior administration official, briefing reporters late Sunday night on the condition of anonymity in order to speak freely, said Obama will call for more sacrifice from carmakers, their investors and automotive unions.


Fascinating. Unions, which have made incredible concessions already in an effort to help GM and Chrysler stay in business, are being ordered by the federal government to concede even more. Yet the dickheads who obscenely profited from wrecking the world financial system remain in their offices, forced only by public shame to forgo bonuses they haven't earned. The same federal government treated these high criminals with kid gloves, saying publicly they feared being sued by the likes of AIG if they attempted to force repayment of unearned bonuses or prevent future ones being paid out.

Recap: Those who work and make something real and useful in order to earn their pay will be further punished by the very same government that has coddled those who play with paper and imaginary numbers and reap unparalleled financial reward for their "toil". The latter are on the hook for many multiples the amounts of the loans the auto industry is seeking, and have given up almost nothing in exchange for, in many cases, essentially free cash.

This is so utterly fucked. It is also the clearest indicator yet that nothing will substantively change in the financial services sector, rendering real the possibility this will all happen again, and the perpetrators will get away with it.

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