CHICAGO, April 30, 2012— The Hill (Grumbling grows on left over slow-going in Wall Street crisis investigations by Pete Schroder) posits the question “how long it will take for the government to assign blame for the financial crisis?”
And there are those on the left demanding that their administration is not moving fast enough to prosecute the “criminals” from Wall Street who “caused” the financial crisis and crash, the supposed worst crisis since the Great Depression.
Groups like Campaign for America’s Future and Better Markets are disappointed no one is doing the perp walk in front of the international media.
The crooks are still running free. They want heads on plates. They want them now. These low information Democratic Party affiliated activists, some well known, supposedly educated, and well funded, demand the “crimes” be prosecuted.
“They”, along with rhetoric and propaganda from the left, are getting tiresome and wearisome. “They” do not state what, if any, crimes were committed. They do not have a list of crime victims.
“They”, the yowlers want expanded investigations. “They” want indictments. “They” want convictions. “They” want imprisonments.
These carping complainers want people in prison for eternal life. They do not really want legal justice or fair trials. For them, it would be better if trials are skipped altogether. Just go straight to the penalty phase. Punish people.
They want political, economic, social and moral justice. Fortunately this is America. We live under a legal system. There is no political, economic moral or social justice system. There are no political, economic, moral or social crimes. There is no such thing as political, economic, moral, or social justice.
America is not some tin pot totalitarian dictatorship. We do not round people up, hold them in cells until we find crimes to fit the punishment.
We do not force them to confess their sins to the whole world.
And the legal system should not be asked to judge one person differently than another, regardless of their political affiliation.
Unfortunately, “they”, the bellyaching progressives do not believe in rights for others. Rights are reserved only for them. They yell the loudest when one of theirs is convicted of real crimes.
Then they make heroes out of them ala Robert Creamer.
The witch hunt is directed toward the Wall Street 1% who they feel is to blame for the crisis, only what crimes were committed? Who committed the crimes? Who are the victims of the crimes? Name one specific criminal violation of a federal statute. Name one criminal. They can’t. They just know crimes were committed. Which makes them know-nothings.
The complainers want the government to conduct perpetual fishing expeditions until they find something, anything, to prosecute. Fishing expeditions are a waste of time, resources, and money. They lead to abuses of civil rights, sometimes on a massive scale. They destroy reputations without results.
Ask victims of that famous fisherman Eliot Spitzer about that. He ia the “Complete Angler”. He ruined reputations while finding few, if any, crimes.
The kvetchers are looking for the usual suspect, perpetrator, or culprit. If there is one offender his name is Uncle Sam. That’s right, our government is the cause of the so-called crime spree.
They passed the laws and enforced the regulations that made the disaster possible.
Why are there no serious investigations? Why are most of the Senators and Congressmen of both parties silent? Why are the President and Attorney General Erica Holder stalling?
No liberal or conservative elected or appointed officials want investigations. All the fingers will point at the White House, the Senate, the House, and the regulatory agencies.
Remember when you point at someone with one finger, three fingers point back to you and all roads lead to Washington.
The social lynch mobs will never believe that. They believe the laws of political, economic, social and moral justice were violated. Someone has to pay. The greedy, immoral bankers and Wall Streeters must be dragged through the streets, pilloried, tarred and feathered, and tossed into dungeons.
Their beloved government would never cause harm. Government is not the problem, greedy malicious people, those on Wall Street, are.
Only this crisis was predicted over two decades ago and then the fingers were pointed at the government to make changes in policies and regulations. No one in government listened.
No one wanted to make changes.
Did banks, insurance companies, and Wall Street find loopholes in laws and regulations? Of course they did. Did you file your taxes? How many loopholes did you or your preparer find?
You definitely did not pay your fair share. Are you a criminal?
Did the banks and Wall Street find methods to lower their exposed risks due to overbearing government regulation, policies, and interference? Of course they did. Who wouldn’t?
Was the government asleep at the switch? You better believe it. It is harder to repeal or amend laws and regulations than to enact them. Sometimes it is impossible. Government never takes responsibility for its irresponsible actions.
There is enough blame to go around. Government, Wall Street, banks, insurance companies, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and a host of others all bear some responsibility. If there were crimes, than the government aided and abetted them. And no one wants that to come to light.
People cannot keep their so-called elective representatives and the hired bureaucrats from passing irresponsible laws that lead to recklessness. Reckless, irresponsible and even greedy behavior in the private sector is not necessarily criminal. There may be civil wrongs to be righted. One massive settlement has already been proffered.
No one really wants to bring any of this to court. It would be too embarrassing for all concerned, including the government, elected officials, regulators, and bureaucrats- past and present.
There will be no show trials, no perp walks, and no convictions. Too many of their good friends in government would be on parade.
Peter V. Bella is a retired Chicago Police Officer, freelance journalist and photojournalist, cook, and raconteur. He likes to be the irreverent sharp stick that pokes, prods, and annoys. His opinions are his and his alone.
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