JRG67

+1 Morals and ethics are important in any civilized society. It is just not good enough to say "but we didn't break the law"
"The war is an ass" and it is about time all those top 1% CEOs in 740 Park (Av NY) were forced to be held morally accountable for their actions. They have lost touch with the reality experienced by the average American.

JRG67

Same to you

HarryTheSpider

Perhaps 'illegal' would be more precise than 'wrong' - in which case I'd agree. And in my own view (to your earlier point about which/whose definition of moral/wrong...) it is immoral. But that's my own opinion.

And yes, the law should changed so that bent law makers looking to retire to a board position in said banks are unable to make a mockery of Congress and the people...

Yours, lividly, but not jealously,

Harold Spider Esq.

Ethelred_the_Unready

My day was actually fine, thank you Mark. How was yours?

That aside and 2 requests later, you still haven't addressed the reason why you accused the right-honourable OP of jealousy, or why you needed to be smug, snarky and condescending. Alas, you seem to be incapable of any form of meaningful debate; you simply wanted to troll and push your own agenda.

Ethelred_the_Unready

Not so long ago, it was perfectly legal to openly discriminate against black people in this country. Fortunately, enough good people banded together and protested, bringing about the Civil Rights movement. My point is that the law doesn't always defend or enforce morality. Sometimes it's actually part of the problem.

JRG67

Very suave!

JRG67

A tad too erudite for Mark, perhaps?

Ethelred_the_Unready

JRG67

LOL
BTW I have noticed that you are very chivalrous

Ethelred_the_Unready

The Manics - telling it like it is:



Gotta love this line

"They give and take away, repossess and crucify
The more you own the more you are, lonelier with cheap desire"

Ethelred_the_Unready

I can also be a particularly horrible ****.

HarryTheSpider

I have it, by Jove!!

The "Somebody Else's Problem" field...
http://hitchhikers.wikia.com/wiki/Somebody_Else's_Problem_field

markwm

Actually, I had a pretty amazing day (seriously, I really did).

It seemed to me that his initial post smacked of jealousy since it had the appearance of a rant. I have no agenda: again, all I have done is to point out a slightly different view of the situation which you are free to ignore as I am free to ignore your perspective. BTW, I consider myself pretty middle of the road, politically, I prefer consensus politics to a straight left or right view: both sides have good and bad ideas.

It seems to me the core issue here is about the morality of what they are doing. If you read my posts you might see I have not taken a side, just asserted that morality is a shifting base upon which society bases it's view of the world and how i's members should behave at that moment in time.

The bankers (I have not expressed nor do I have any feelings for them either way) are doing what they are allowed to do. If the lawmakers let them get away with it, for whatever reason, then vote to remove those lawmakers (I do understand that, at an individual level, that is difficult; however, if you truly felt strongly enough about it, you would do something a tad more tangible than take the piss out of me - which, by the way, feel free to do - it does make me laugh).

As for the morals of what they do, look at it from their point of view: they have an opportunity to make even more money. So what? Are you saying, if in the same position, you would turn it down? Really? I would find that very hard to believe.

It's not that they are immoral - they just have a different moral compass than you or I might have. To them this is what they do. You should also consider what they do with that money.

A great deal of it is, one way or the other, returned back to the economy. Many of these people will invest in startup and other companies (as angels or venture capitalists) and/or will buy homes, or employ local workers to improve the homes they have or simply spend the money on food and living. Capital does not stay in one place, it is fluid.

My big concern would not be that they earn it, but that they don't spend the majority of it in the local or national economy.

The banks may not be lending money (another issue and one where they are wrong) but bankers are and always have done, even if most people don't know about it.

Now, again, have a nice day. I know I will.

Hiro11

Why are you all convinced that paying taxes is so wonderful and a sign of "morality"? Do you believe that the government does nothing but efficient good with tax money?

fatbrit

It's certainly more efficient in its spending on health care than the private sector. And one special forces bod undoubtedly costs us less when s/he's paid by the government than Blackwater. Just sayin' like.