The rise of anti business rethoric. Bad for the market.

Obama bashed bankers yesterday. Today he said "Organized labor isn't a problem but a solution". This isn't good for stocks, people. It may be good for the country in the long run, but for the time being its not good for stocks.

4. Shame & Retribution

From Five Things, Jan. 5, 2009: "Now that the asset price bubble has imploded, exposing its foundation as little more than a mirage of debt-driven excess, it's time for the crowd which helped fuel the bubble to savagely turn against those it once idolized; namely, the rich."

So it came as no surprise to stumble across this piece by New York Times columnist Clyde Haberman, "Imparting Some Shame to Those Who Trade in Greed."

"Is there a way for the [former Merrill CEO John] Thains and [former Lehman Brothers CEO Dick] Fulds of the world to be held up to shame, if only as a caution to others? How about something like billboards bearing their pictures and brief descriptions of their actions?"

I believe this is really just the tip of the iceberg. Unlike the past corrective bear cycles during the long-term secular bull market, when fallen money men and women could resuscitate their careers with a best selling mea culpa book, a donation here and there and a quick trot around the publicity circuit, the secular bear market and negative social mood will seek more lasting retribution.

As the intensity of negative social mood increases, the thirst for retribution and vengeance will increase, making recovery from the taint of this crisis far more challenging for those involved.


5. Speaking of Intensifying Negative Social Mood...

TechCrunch founder Michael Arrington today announced he would be taking a leave from the technology blog after being spat upon and verbally abused while at the DLD Conference in Munich, Germany.

In his post, "Some Things Need to Change," Arrington wrote, "I draw the line at being spat on. It’s one step away from something far more violent." Arrington then added that over the summer he and his family were the subjects of a death threat.

"I write about technology startups and news. In any sane world that shouldn’t make me someone who has to deal with death threats and being spat on," Arrington wrote.


http://www.minyanvil...dex/a/20851/p/1

expecting shame to do anything is ridiculous - its like expecting the petty burglar to feel shame at taking away treasured objects - the only thing psychopaths - which these people are - fear is punishment, especially the punishment of not being able to move freely and do it again. Shame and other soft actions are proposed by those who dont want to do anything, but want to look like they are doing something. Imagine what would be happening if Putin or Hu Jin Tao were in charge! BTW, the first part of that article - 1. Change Comes Hard This morning I was rudely greeted by two bizarre news headlines; bizarre because they were written about roughly the same thing, yet presented two diametrically opposed thoughts. The first was from the New York Times: Geithner Sets Limits on Bank Lobbying The second was from the Wall Street Journal: Geithner's New Chief of Staff is Former Bank Lobbyist What in the ....? Seriously? That used to be something you would only read in a local broadsheet while waiting on a sweaty tarmac to flee a collapsing South American dictatorship.

BTW, the first part of that article -

1. Change Comes Hard

This morning I was rudely greeted by two bizarre news headlines; bizarre because they were written about roughly the same thing, yet presented two diametrically opposed thoughts.

The first was from the New York Times: Geithner Sets Limits on Bank Lobbying

The second was from the Wall Street Journal: Geithner's New Chief of Staff is Former Bank Lobbyist

What in the ....? Seriously? That used to be something you would only read in a local broadsheet while waiting on a sweaty tarmac to flee a collapsing South American dictatorship.

Great catch.

What's ironic about today's "Middle Class Rescue" PR is that the stimulus package in its entirety threatens to wipe out just that in the U.S. -- i.e., the middle class.

Edited by beta, 30 January 2009 - 12:17 PM.

i first starting hearing these EOTWAWKI rants when i was a teenager. luckily, i was taught differently and that tape is in my brain. bet against america, and you wiill LOSE! YEEEEEEE ... HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA ...!!!

Anti-business????

People are rising up across this great nation and sigining on to sponsor downtrodden CEOs!!!

Just take a minute, and view this -



After you wipe away the tears, please put down that latte and write that check!

Obama bashed bankers yesterday. Today he said "Organized labor isn't a problem but a solution".


This isn't good for stocks, people. It may be good for the country in the long run, but for the time being its not good for stocks.

Since when have unions been other than "legalized extortion"?

The Administration wants to promote unions to raise the earnings of the middle class. That will raise costs and make products non-competitive with foreign makers..... resulting in NOBODY in a union having a job.

Unions served to provide artificially high wages in the USA in times past... when there was no competition. Now that the Asian cheap labor genie has been let out of the bottle, there's no putting it back.

Unions are a bad idea for this time... should be a dead idea, too.