How it all ends: "With riots in the streets." - The Street Doesn't Look So Shiny Anymore

[robertpaulsen]

The Street Doesn't Look So Shiny Anymore

By Doug Stumpf
Sunday, September 21, 2008; Page B01

snip

Many of the traders who were used to receiving six-figure annual bonuses have started brown-bagging their lunches instead of ordering in sushi or eating out at local restaurants. "Dude, we already passed the recession," one trader explained to the worker. "This is the Depression. Save your money."

The trading floor had always seemed, to one observer, rock-solid Republican -- until recently. One staunch Republican stood up in his trading group's row and announced, to the amazed stares of his colleagues, "I'm voting for Obama. I don't care if I have to pay more taxes. I just want things to be fixed."

snip

One trading-floor denizen described how it happens: Your phone rings, and you're told to report to human resources. You stand up and announce to the people in your row that it's all over. If they like you, they hug you and maybe even applaud. In many cases, they'll be the ones to clean out your desk. Right after you get fired, you're marched out of the building by security. An employee at one of the biggest, best-run firms told a shoeshine boy, "Nobody is safe. I could be out of here tomorrow."

When a financial journalist friend of mine asked a prominent executive how this would all end, he replied, "With riots in the streets."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/19/AR2008091902809.html

If Obama is not elected, I'm afraid this prominent executive may be correct.

[Skittles]

1. they were a HUGE part of the problem

I cannot bring myself to feel sorry for them

[CoffeeCat]

2. I read stuff like this...

...and it's like the nightmare we've always talked about is coming true.

There was always this little glint of hope, that we were wrong. Or that something would
turn everything around.

We're in it now.

And the neocon safety net is all ready in place, when those "riots in the street" happen. If you
riot or rise up against this government--it's in place that you can be declare an "enemy combatant."

I don't need to mention the rights we lose and the things that happen to a person who obtains
that status. We know the drill.

It's all in place. Just like they planned it.

The dominoes have begun toppling faster now, and things will just get worse, at a faster, unstoppable rate.

It's difficult--without any denial at all.

I worry about those Wall Streeters. Tens of thousands of them unemployed and they understand the devastation
better than the average bear. It's going to be horrible for them and I hope they can rely on each other.

[stillcool]

3. what a great line..

"Pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered" in theory anyway.

[tazkcmo]

4. Good Fucking Riddance

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!

[rpannier]

5. Brown bagging???

Didn't they save any money???

Weren't they preparing their 401k's for their retirement???

Gee...I thought it was only the poor, lower-middle class and minorities that were fiscally irresponsible.

F*CK them. Those idiots brought this on themselves.
They had money -- lots of it and they squandered it.
They voted stupidly -- ie republikkan

I'll save my sympathy for the people that have been getting pissed on for the last three decades -- the poor, lower-middle class and minorities

[bulloney]

6. What they mean is that they're settling for filet mignon for lunch instead of lobster.

After listening to some of these guys talking when things were going strong, I don't feel sorry for them. They were accomplices in this mess. They thought that creating their faux wealth out of thin air and having the extremely wealthy not paying their fair share in taxes was a birthright with no consequences.

And that statement about not caring if they have to pay higher taxes is just more stereotyping. They don't think the dollar's plunging value and the inflationary effects of Republicans' borrow-and-spend fiscal policies don't take money out of their pockets?