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Corruption Today: Some Companies “Too Big To Prosecute”
I don't know if you've seen the bit on either the news or the The Daily Show about the European bank that was caught laundering money from both terrorist groups and crime cartels, HSBC… If not, then take a few minutes to catch up:
www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-january-9-2013/bank-wankers—hsbc
Now you're granted immunity from criminal charges as a business if you're deemed “too big to prosecute.” Meanwhile, AIG, the insurance company who was SAVED by a huge loan from the U.S. government because they were deemed “too big to fail” is now suing our government because they claim that the loan repayment plan is “too onerous.” !!!
This sort of over-the-top arrogance is now so rampant that no one is even surprised anymore to hear such stories. Because we're keeping the whole creaking, groaning, teetering monster of an economy going through lies, secrets, and more lies– everyone lets this sort of bullshit have a pass. Yet it is precisely this sort of massive conspiratorial ingrained corruption that will make our collective facing of finite resources that much more devastating. We already have serious issues looming on the horizon — add world governments and giant corporations unable and unwilling to admit to and deal with truth, and we have the recipe for disaster.
I've been expecting the “release” of a second leg down on this recession for some time now. A second stunning blow to the American economy that would inevitably lead to a longer, harsher recession that all will agree deserves the title of depression. Several economies in the world are already there, but the empire status of the United States is granting us some time and leeway. However, even that has been on the verge of falling apart for years now.
This– THIS sort of corruption will make an already painful crash coalesce into a full out collapse of the economy. Had we faced such a thing after 2009 directly after the first recessional craziness, it would have hurt a lot– but not as much as such a crash being pushed out this far will have. The longer we wait, the worse the final effect.
I'm beginning to see the signs that another crash is getting closer. Global and national companies are beginning to do massive layoffs and partial layoffs again on par with what people were seeing late 2007 to early 2008 (refresher: the last crash began in October of 2008.) The most blatant and outrageous stories of corruption are reaching a new shock level with the public, even worse than what we've heard up until now. (As the HSBC and AIG stories above illustrate.) Government stalemates are reaching a point where its almost impossible to get anything accomplished beyond a few months. All these factors put pressure on an already overburdened system, precariously balanced as it is upon bullshit and held together with kitestring.
In addition to these signs, there's a new facet to the ongoing misery that we're all becoming increasingly alarmed by: Global climate change and its effects upon the economy are finally starting to dawn on millions of people as more and more of us are directly effected by extreme forms of weather more often. Weather disaster means displaced people without homes. It means closed businesses. Most importantly, it means CROP LOSSES, which in turn create higher food prices and, down the line, probable starvation for entire populations. For those of us living in the empire, starvation may not be much of a fear, but deciding between buying food and heating or cooling a home can be.
The lack of intelligent response has been nibbling at people's trust in the system for years now. It will take one certain unexpected negative event, what some economists call a “black swan,” to unravel the entire package. I don't think it will happen for a little while yet– not until summer or next fall at least. But at this point, its too difficult to say. I just know I would not want to be a powerful, rich white man when that black swan arrives. Humble pie WILL be on the menu, and who knows how many razor blades will be served up with that well-deserved dish?
2013-01-14 01:51:04
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