When it comes to being pre-programmed, computers do not have the ability to consider new variables. But when it comes to humans, we pride ourselves on being smarter than a machine… most times.
What is becoming a popular lynching of AIG, sends chills to other companies that have been given government bailout money. This preprogrammed agreement on huge bonus payout can only be matched by ignoring a “Bridge out” sign after a severe storm. The bridge may have been there yesterday, but now only raging flood waters fill the void. Putting your hand out for money and then slapping their face after you get their money is what this is all about.
Trying not to drag politics into this, but it does show a huge contrast in both morals and ethics between the have everything people and the have nothing people. That huge contrast does show that they are disconnected with people and reality. How soon they forget what put President Obama into office.
The fact that the bonus money went to the very people who were major contributors to AIG’s fall is tantamount to rewarding your dog for chewing up your shoes.
But it would seem that some of the money is being returned by the recipients, but the question is it morals or fear that is driving that action. Well simply the answer is fear, if they had morals they would have never accepted the money in the first place. When you watch the news and you see tent cities popping up, and people cooking soup in a coffee can strung over a camp fire, it reinforces that it is fear that is driving the return. Once that fear is gone, then nothing keeps them from returning to their old ways of us / them.
So this mentality of greed is what weakened the system so that it could not endure the high price of oil. When the outrage that a CEO is making so much money started several years back, this just seems to be the straw that broke the camels back.
So that brings us to think about our education system, it certainly would seem learning how to make money is being taught from grade one and up, but learning ethics was last seen in Ms. Johnson’s 6th grade class.
As a people Americans are nice,… a bit arrogant but nice. And it is this self reflection that is at the heart of this economic problem. Too often whistle blowers are punished for displaying ethics and morality. Greed and profit have clearly taken over. All the jokes and cartoons that depict this clearly have a basis in reality. Is there any wonder why the Hollywood movies who depict Joe Nobody going out and taking out the powerful and mighty are blockbusters. When the abused and neglected come out on top, people simply feel good that some sort of justice has been served, even if only in a movie.
So now this brings us to cause and effect. Dealing with the effect of the economy will take a lot of money. Dealing with the cause will require other measures, but rest assured, there will be resistance, and the fear of loss of power may make some politicians cave in when it comes to listening to their own morals and ethics. There is a clear resistance to reintegrate with everyday people.
