today’s rant: nosedive economy, originally 10/8/08

"By ANDREW TAYLOR, Associated Press Writer Tue Oct 7, 11:15 PM ET

WASHINGTON - Days after it got a federal bailout, American International Group Inc. spent $440,000 on a posh California retreat for its executives, complete with spa treatments, banquets and golf outings, according to lawmakers investigating the company's meltdown."

i say AIG owes the government some money back. at the very least, the execs need to go to congress, get down on their knees, and start giving blowjobs to all congressmen.  they better pray they get nancy pelosi, hillary clinton, or some other female congressman (i'm not saying congressperson, it sounds to stupid) just so they don't get a hot load shot down their throat.  they'd have to settle for just a stiff jaw and tongue before moving on to the next congressman.  if you don't like that idea, then reasonably, if the execs decided to spend $440k on themselves, they should pay the gov't back $880k.

who do you blame for this?  is it the predatory lenders, or the lendees who bit off more than they could chew buying stuff they couldn't afford?  obi-wan kenobi once posed "who's more foolish:  the fool or the fool [lendees] who follows him [lenders]?"  by that logic, i think that the people getting the mortgages were foolish for getting something they couldn't afford, but the mortgage companies and the banks were more foolish for actually giving them the loans that couldn't be paid back.  they gotta know money better than the average joe.  if they weren't so caught up in making a quick buck, they should've sat down with the lendees and said "listen, i'm not all that hot about giving you this money.  why?  because you live in a box 15 feet away from the front door of this building.  that's why.  your pillow is an empty bottle of vodka."

i'd love to take a day off just to sit back, drink a beer, and watch the stock markets tumble.  thankfully for me, i am no longer invested in the stock market.  as of last week, i've pulled out.  i used to be since before college.  a mutual fund helped pay my way through college.  after college finished, i had some money left in there, so i decided to keep it in there.  it started to turn downhill at the beginning of this year, then toppled within the past few weeks.  if i didn't close my account last week, i'd be down another $600 as of today.  case and point that bad stuff happening to people is funny except when it happens to you.  everyone, pull out now.  you're better off having a bad weekend in atlantic city losing your shirt at the blackjack table then spending the remnants of junior's college tuition getting head from a chick with an adam's apple.  i guarantee that'll be better than losing your money in the market.

bush, explain this to me:  you wanted to privatize social security?  why?  and with this market, how?  we wouldn't have anything left.  you can't guarantee jack shit in the market, so shove it up your ass.