I will not deny that I thought it was thoroughly entertaining to watch the Wall Street criminals forced to appear before Congress and explain how they were earning millions while the rest of the country lost jobs, homes and health insurance. It was good television. Go get ‘em, Barney Frank! Kick some serious ass, Chuck Schumer! These impeccably dressed frat boys had robbed us blind, I recall thinking, and now they’re on the hot seat.
Except that they’re not. The news channels are abuzz this morning with lots of talk about the CEO of Goldman Sachs, who is testifying today. Will his testimony be reconciliatory, or will he come in fighting? My guess is that Goldman Sachs is as sinister as the rest of them, with its terrifying connections to all sorts of governmental entities, including the White House. So today the CEO will take his seat and there will be a lot of indignation thrown at him and we’ll all have a good time watching the news this evening. And then tomorrow, back to business as usual.
So if I were advising the CEO, here’s what I’d suggest: Seat yourself and thank everyone for the invitation. Then, beginning with Alabama, go through each state in alphabetical order and announce the amount of contributions each member of Congress has accepted from Goldman Sachs. Once you’ve reached Wyoming, shift to the White House. Then, invite questions and comments.
That would be my advice if I were asked, which, of course, I was not.
About Me
- Rotary
- Portland, Oregon, United States
- I'm in my mid 40s and long for the era when the main mode of communication was the rotary telephone. As I recall, people knew how to spell without spell check, they answered their phones unless they weren't home and twittering was something birds did on cartoons. All ironies aside, I really miss those days.