Imortalizing the Word #8 – convergence of worlds

Relevant thoughts by Monsieur Granthier

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So much going on these days when folks are even more burdened by making ends meet.
Our United States government is now on the verge of managing Wall Street despite their chagrin, and against the behest of wall street executives, to let the “free” markets resolve themselves. ( who now are gorging themselves with caviar while bathing in bubbly Cristal in their solid gold tubs, all sponsored by tax payer money. LOL – but not really).

These past few months have been marked by the rallying of the global villagers (with pitch forks and torches in hand) against the greed and feelings of entitlement held by bank executives taking to heart the appellation “Masters of the Universe.” They arrogantly pull lower the shroud that masked the complex issues that burden our economy, even after the battle cry for more transparency. The politicizing of the process hasn’t helped. The partisan posturing hasn’t helped, and, in my opinion, it has sanctioned the unapologetic stance that would foster the type of presumptuousness and blatant disregard which has allowed the usage of government funds to pay AIG executives exorbitant amounts as bonuses in a time where they should be grateful to have a job, in light of their company’s failures.

What has ensued bears stark similarities to the theme of “Bonfire of the Vanities,” with President Obama cast as the innocent black boy sideswiped by a Wall20Street culture that refuses the momentarily sacrifice of opulence for a more appropriate mantle of stewardship for the sake of our collective survival. This brings to question the actual effectiveness of the system. I have always been torn when confronted with the concerns of both sides of the more or less “government intervention in the markets” argument. I see merit in both sides of the argument. As of late I’m starting to believe that both arguments are equally right and wrong, with the economy that we currently have as the product resulting from this discordance.

Ironically the political environment that the partisan bickering has created has had a profound affect on the dialog in which everyday folks are engaged. It used to be that only those who were inculcated into the inner workings of the economy, politics, technology and health care policy were the only ones to be compelled by its nuances. Never has this nation been so eagerly engaged in dialogs that, in the past, might have been deemed “above their pay grades.” I feel that this administration, with Barak Obama as our “Educator in Chief,” may indeed be the catalyst for the new compact average citizens have made with the government. Some might argue that subjecting the public to the minutia connoted to governance might burden the system with an unseemly amount of bureaucracy. I, the eternal pragmatic optimist, choose to believe that a government for the people and by the people can only benefit from this engageme nt. In this case any friction that might be encountered shouldn’t be viewed as an obstruction but as a means to traction towards a more efficient and less exclusionary system.

Being the junior wood chuck economist /political analyst that I am, I’ve surmised that whether this be by the designs of conscientious social constructivists or the product of the natural evolution of the collective hive mind towards a purer democracy, it’s a good thing!
I’d love to hear your thoughts.