Am I my brother's keeper?

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... Am I my brother's keeper?

On Fridays, my emotions get fairly close to the skin.

I'm a fan of rick Santelli. But I have a problem. Most of you don't know quite what has gone on over the past few days. There is a rant, which is the basic Free Market rant, of the "Milton Freedman" Free market Economists, or as I call them the economists of Narcissism.

Freedman is an advocate of free markets, and yet he is quoted as saying "There is no such thing as a "Free Lunch". Which meant that you have to pay for things, one way or another.

Free market traders embolden by a foolhardy government that believed in strong deregulation. Allowed Bond traders to create these crazy products that have put the country in great Peril. As they Treated the Mortgage market like a Casino, and ran away to let the government deal with the problems they created. So WE PAY FOR THEIR FREE LUNCH. We created TOO FREE A MARKET, and now we pay. Unless you have 2 definitions of Free.... One can make a claim that "THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A FREE MARKET."

As Greenspan was quoted "There was a problem with the model, We assumed people would act in the self interest of the company." When this was stupid, because People are children, not only do they act in their own self interest, they act in their short term interest.

So, after we have rescued the Banks, the auto's, insurance companies, Wallstreet, Derivatives. Now in order to try and stabilize the mortgage market and try and keep some people off of the street. There is a stabilization bill,;proposed is to help both the banks and the borrowers, by having the taxpayer help pay down the difference between what the house was worth, and what it is now worth. To be honest it makes sense, Help both sides of the equation, not just the banks. and force them to deal directly with the problem.

So, the last few days the free market traders are having a Hissy fit. They are worse than Clickish girls... The worse idea, to them than helping the banks is the idea that we could instead of Just help banks, we help both banks and citizens. This is SUPER OFFENSIVE to these people.


What really offends me most about it, is that simple idea that we need to take care of our neighbor.

I'm not a Jesus guy, or a bible guy in any way shape or form... but the overall theme of the bible is laid out in the story of cane and able:

And the Lord said unto Cain: Where is Abel, thy brother? And he said: I know not. Am I my brother's keeper?

This is the them of the entire bible.... It asks the question "AM I MY BROTHER"S KEEPER?".

So, with all that preface:
Here it is.


In the middle of all of this, there are 10 traders from the CBOT, Standing up in the middle of the floor saying "NO, I AM NOT MY BROTHER'S KEEPER."

And over time, if you ask yourself how we got here. It's because people were asked that question over the past 3 decades and they said like cane:

I know not. Am I my brother's keeper?

Over the next series of years, we will need to ask ourselves that question many times.