Have you noticed? There’s been a change in the financial fallout reporting of late. A few months ago, the tone of the news was, “Oh, how terrible! Those people lost everything! We must curb the evil capitalist market. …”
Today’s stories are different. Real estate tycoons are killing themselves. European industrialists are stepping in front of trains rather than watch their empires unravel. China’s richest man is under investigation for insider trading. And the chairman of India’s biggest information technology service firm admitted that he was carrying a billion dollars worth of cash on the company’s balance sheet that did not – and indeed never had – existed. The profits for which he was so highly praised were phony.
In California, the U.S. attorney is begging for more money and manpower to prosecute the real estate brokers, property appraisers, mortgage brokers and banks that participated in outright fraud during the real estate boom. He doesn’t even have time to prosecute the individuals who lied on their mortgage applications about their income and assets.
The sentiment has shifted. Today’s headlines are more likely to read, “I can’t believe it! The guy lied to us! It was a Ponzi scheme!”
Well, duh. What did you expect? The media told Americans that lying was OK.
“I did not have sex with that woman!” Enter the semen-stained dress, and the mainline media’s terribly original defense of President Clinton: “Well, everybody lies about sex …” Perhaps that’s due to its popularity? Hmm … I wonder if there might conceivably be anything more popular among aging baby boomers than sex?
Money, perhaps? No, couldn’t be. Odd, though; I haven’t seen the same mainline media personalities defending Mr. Madoff and his $50 billion Ponzi investment plan with the line, “Well, everybody lies about money …” As it turns out, however, at least as many people lie about money as lie about sex. Maybe more. Maybe lots more.
So I wonder, why does the mainline media seem to think it’s OK for the nation’s chief law enforcement officer (that would be the president) to lie to a court of law about his sexual activities in the Oval office – but it’s not OK for Bernie Madoff to lie about his financial proclivities with a few deviant electrons in a back room at the stock and bond trading desk? “I did not have financial relations with that derivative!” No, of course not, Sir, but do have a look at the ink smear on this trading statement.
If the American people had a memory, the media would be in a quandary. But we don’t. So they’re not. No, the mainline media will go on to excuse lying, cheating, stealing, character assassination and doing whatever else is “necessary,” provided it achieves the “greater good” of putting their boys and girls in power. Even if it means they’re not legally qualified to hold office.
Why? Because one of the few things the mainline media entourage actually believes is that the end justifies the means. It’s a belief they share with tyrants and despots around the world today, and throughout history. Why do you think they do it? I think the reason is they lack the intelligence to see where that road ends. And end it does, at a place we don’t want to go.
Yet, today’s big-name media participants do all they can to hasten America’s journey down the “road to hell that is paved with good intentions.” When pressed, practically every one of them will tell you that human beings evolved from pond scum, we’re innately good, and that it is the system that makes things turn out badly. Change the system and you change the behavior.
America has chosen to test that theory. Of the outcome, I have no doubt.
