Thursday, November 13, 2008

When did our priorities get so skewed?

"People are grieving. There was a death. Their money died." BARBARA GOLDSMITH, a semiretired psychotherapist in Delray Beach, Fla.

Bye, Bye, the American Pie
Drove my Lexus to the Bank
But the Bank was dry
Those AIG Boys are drinking
Champagne and Rye
And This will be the day
That I tear my hair out in frustration.

What happened to our values that we grieve money over all else? I look around at new housing developments - all "Luxury Homes", rather than affordable housing. All for the uber-wealthy. Good people are struggling horribly, and AIG throws a party for the top Executives with some of their share.

Really, I am a natural blonde, going grey. Somebody explain this to me, because I am really too pissed off to make sense.

21 comments:

MRMacrum said...

I'd try to talk you down, like Rachel what's her name's show, but I cannot. I am as pissed as you are. Methinks this over the top fascination with money and accumulating it is an unfortunate side effect of out of control Capitalism. Greed is not good, no matter what Mike Douglas in "Wall Street" says.

Joe said...

I alternate between telling myself that it could always be worse, with becoming paranoid by thinking that it actually WILL get worse. I'm afraid I'm no help here.

Randal Graves said...

If these so-called 'good people' were actually good, they wouldn't be in the mess their in. Only the truly good never suffer; that's how the world works.

From the Book of Gekko, 7:22-23.

jmsjoin said...

Hi Diva
Hope you are well! Our priorities "the priorities of average Americans" have not changed but they are increasingly controlled by big business and money!Society is money driven thus we have no control period over our priorities as the economy goes south as planned. I better stop before I start raqnting!

thailandchani said...

What do I think? I think every society makes choices about its priorities. After listening to the City Council meeting last night, hearing them close critical health care clinics in vulnerable areas, I'm convinced US culture is making ALL the wrong choices.

But then.. that's why I chose mine. I don't want to be exposed to such ugliness.

Americans are intelligent, well-educated people. All it takes is choosing differently.


~*

Unknown said...

It's looking bleak and we just have to weather it and hope that our elected leaders will do what they promised. We also have to stay on their asses to make sure of it.

I'm just uber-pissed that the shrub isn't doing anything. For chrissakes, shouldn't he, for the sake of his party or "legacy" actually act as if he's trying to help? It's mind-blowing to me that the man is too busy trying to shop out his memoirs (unsuccessfully) to even pretend to help.

robin andrea said...

It's the raiding of the treasury that has me infuriated. As Bob Herbert said the other day, When the Champagne and caviar crowd is in trouble, taxpayer money can be found quickly. But the working poor and young are being clobbered in this downturn. I don't think the perpetrators of this economic debacle should be rewarded with our tax dollars. There is something so deeply perverse about this that it feels like a planned parting gift from Bush administration. Signed, sealed, and delivered.

Dean Wormer said...

It is odd.

The local paper did a series on how high schools in wealthier districts are effectively "buying" state football championships. Through fundraising and parents who are executives at companies like Nike and Intel the schools go so far as to have orthopedic surgeons at the games. This is high school!

Naturally parents from these wealthier districts were unhappy with this attention and accused the paper of pushing "socialism."

Point is it's gotten to the point where even pointing out an inequity, without even suggesting a solution, draws the ire of the well-to-do.

"Don't hate us because we're rich!"

Anonymous said...

Let's not forget that while those poor old folk grieve for their cash, while we were bailing out the investment banks, Paulson changed the government's interpretation of a little know tax law that disallowed corporations from getting a tax exemption for buying the assets of a failing company. So, to those little Grannies that are grieving their loss, please don't ask me to be sorry.

Agi said...

drowning in whiskey and rye...

Sheesh, don't ask me. I don't even understand the stock market, let alone the bailout, credit crunch, financial crysis, etc...

Fran said...

It is really sick and says a lot about our society and culture.

Those on the right loathe what they see as the handouts of Dems to the great unwashed masses... Then they give themselves a handout, to be filed under the "oh that's different" rule.

Wrong wrong wrong.

Frederick said...

It all goes back to Alexander Hamilton you see...it was a dark and stormy night in 1788 when a knock came at the door...

Agi said...

Frederick: Are you saying that Aaron Burr had a valid motive?

Cormac Brown said...

I wonder if that sequel to "Wall Street" is still green-lighted?

Utah Savage said...

I'm hiding under my bed. Please call me when it's over.

Anonymous said...

Our creditors are getting letters from us that basically tell them that we're calling it even. They got bailed out and so we figure they don't need our payments, they already got our tax dollars.

Utah Savage said...

I just gave you another award. Do not try to form a posse and come after me when I'm sleeping. I never sleep. And besides that you'll like it, it's pretty.

Distributorcap said...

as it is said
whoever has the most stuff when they die - wins......

americans are winning hands down

Stella by Starlight said...

I heard about the $440,000 AIG "retreat" a couple of weeks ago. The bastards should not only give the money back, they should also be stripped of their bonuses, golden parachutes, and salaries.

The government should cut all their salaries to $40K a year (I'm being generous). Let's see how the thieves get along living like the rest of us.

I can't explain it to you: it's plain evil.

Utah Savage said...

So, darlink, how are you?

Anonymous said...

I think this is the natural evolution of the plans set into motion many, many years ago by government and big business. bt We have become the ultimate consumer society to the point that we are now enslaved by our goods and purchases. Even the lower middle class must have a luxury car, a home in foreclosure, and credit card debt out he wazoo, Our priorties have been wildly skewed and it will take another great depression to shift this and it is just around the corner. Happy days are here again, clear skies above are clear again, so let's sing a song of chear again....