32 replies to this topic

[Cossack]

Dear American:

I need to ask you to support an urgent secret business relationship with a transfer of funds of great magnitude.

I am Ministry of the Treasury of the Republic of America. My country has had crisis that has caused the need for large transfer of funds of 700 billion dollars US. If you would assist me in this transfer, it would be most profitable to you.

I am working with Mr. Phil Gramm, lobbyist for UBS, who will be my replacement as Ministry of the Treasury in January. As a Senator, you may know him as the leader of the American banking deregulation movement in the 1990s. This transaction is 100% safe.

This is a matter of great urgency. We need a blank check. We need the funds as quickly as possible. We cannot directly transfer these funds in the names of our close friends because we are constantly under surveillance. My family lawyer advised me that I should look for a reliable and trustworthy person who will act as a next of kin so the funds can be transferred.

Please reply with all of your bank account, IRA and college fund account numbers and those of your children and grandchildren to wallstreetbailout@treasury.gov so that we may transfer your commission for this transaction. After I receive that information, I will respond with detailed information about safeguards that will be used to protect the funds.

Yours Faithfully Minister of Treasury Paulson

I dont take credit for writing this, but I found it somewhere on the web and I found it hilarious.

But in all seriousness, I think this whole Wall Street conundrum is a perfect example of the stupidity that is the conservative ideology. We live in a society that cannot function without regulation. Power and money is too concentrated in the hands of too few. This basically means the dumb and greedy actions of a few investors can control the economic state of the whole country. The people need to have a stake in whats happening in whats happening above there heads. The people should be represented by their governement, and therefore more government regualtion is needed.

But now that you conservative thinkers have gotten yourselves into this mess, what do I think you should do about it? Honestly I have no idea.

Its just one giant clusterfuck. If the government lets these banks go bankrupt, money dissapears into a hole. If they bail out the banks, they have to borrow more money from China and dig their own financial grave even deeper. Its funny how Reagan started this whole enormous government debt thing...only for it to be slightly repaired by Clinton, and then re-started by Bush II.

Well let me tell you something America...you will recieve no pity from me. While I sit up here under the protection of my strong government (though it will likely not last much longer...maybe only 'til October 14th), you are crashing and burning under the weight of your "free market". Congratulations.

[Rafv Nin IV]

If our "free market" were actually free, then it wouldn't be nearly as bad as it is. It seems every politician who gets his hands on a little power wants to screw with the economy.

[whiny politician voice] So a bunch of people made bad investments. How can we solve this? I know! Let's take money from everyone who DIDN'T act idiotic, and give it to everyone who doesn't deserve it! Doesn't that sound wonderful? What's more, this generation won't even be able to pay off the national debt, so let's borrow from the people who aren't even born yet! [/whiny politician voice]

Seriously. 700 billion dollars. 300 million people. Many of which won't pay a significant portion of their share. The days of the U.S.A. as an economic superpower are quite limited.

Edited by Ravnin IV, 25 September 2008 - 11:40 PM.

[Soul]

Seriously. 700 billion dollars. 300 million people. Many of which won't pay a significant portion of their share. The days of the U.S.A. as an economic superpower are quite limited.

Quite a shame the politicians are such tards .

I just fear what will happen over there in Canada .

[Vortigern]

Oh, they'll just get fucked along with the rest of the west. If the USA goes down, it's taking most of the world with it. Too much of the global economy is tied into the USA, but people are moving out, which is why it's collapsing. If you didn't get out at the right moment, you're fucked, basically.

America is too stubbornly capitalist to realise that taxing the poor doesn't really help. It's like Robin Hood. What America needs is someone to take from the rich and give to the poor. You know, a Democrat.

[True Lord of Chaos]

I completely agree. They should take some of Bill Gates' money, although about half each year goes to charity, some should be used to level the economy. This is applicable to other rich people, except most others aren't generous.

[some_weirdGuy]

i wonder how many people, if they got an email saying that, would be dumb enough to do what it says?

[Vortigern]

If they got an email saying what? Sorry if this seems a bit dense....

Anyway, Bill Gates is a genuine philanthropist. He's not the sort of person this is aimed at here. He is worth billions, if not trillions of dollars, but he uses them effectively. He's got to the point where he's so rich it doesn't matter if throws it all away or burns it or funds his own separatist nation or space program or whatever. He can afford that, even after taxes and donations. It's upper-middle America we're talking about here. The kind of people that earn around a million dollars a year, but get tax cuts under every Republican President. Just because it worked during the 1920s doesn't mean it'll work now.

[Spectre]

Dear American:

I need to ask you to support an urgent secret business relationship with a transfer of funds of great magnitude.

I am Ministry of the Treasury of the Republic of America. My country has had crisis that has caused the need for large transfer of funds of 700 billion dollars US. If you would assist me in this transfer, it would be most profitable to you.

I am working with Mr. Phil Gramm, lobbyist for UBS, who will be my replacement as Ministry of the Treasury in January. As a Senator, you may know him as the leader of the American banking deregulation movement in the 1990s. This transaction is 100% safe.

This is a matter of great urgency. We need a blank check. We need the funds as quickly as possible. We cannot directly transfer these funds in the names of our close friends because we are constantly under surveillance. My family lawyer advised me that I should look for a reliable and trustworthy person who will act as a next of kin so the funds can be transferred.

Please reply with all of your bank account, IRA and college fund account numbers and those of your children and grandchildren to wallstreetbailout@treasury.gov so that we may transfer your commission for this transaction. After I receive that information, I will respond with detailed information about safeguards that will be used to protect the funds.

Yours Faithfully Minister of Treasury Paulson

I dont take credit for writing this, but I found it somewhere on the web and I found it hilarious.

But in all seriousness, I think this whole Wall Street conundrum is a perfect example of the stupidity that is the conservative ideology. We live in a society that cannot function without regulation. Power and money is too concentrated in the hands of too few. This basically means the dumb and greedy actions of a few investors can control the economic state of the whole country. The people need to have a stake in whats happening in whats happening above there heads. The people should be represented by their governement, and therefore more government regualtion is needed.

But now that you conservative thinkers have gotten yourselves into this mess, what do I think you should do about it? Honestly I have no idea.

Its just one giant clusterfuck. If the government lets these banks go bankrupt, money dissapears into a hole. If they bail out the banks, they have to borrow more money from China and dig their own financial grave even deeper. Its funny how Reagan started this whole enormous government debt thing...only for it to be slightly repaired by Clinton, and then re-started by Bush II.

Well let me tell you something America...you will recieve no pity from me. While I sit up here under the protection of my strong government (though it will likely not last much longer...maybe only 'til October 14th), you are crashing and burning under the weight of your "free market". Congratulations.

Why make this much fuss over a no-doubt SCAM E-Mail?

I see no point in doing it, just delete it and move on, god knows all of the scams are pure lies.

[Tom]

LOL. The people in your government are not conservative. They claim they are but they are not. Conservatism is based on conserving, obviously. Being fiscally conservative. Which is a good thing. People don't prosper on spending, they prosper on saving, which is exactly what the "conservatives" / "republicans" are not doing. They are not conservative.

[Cossack]

Why make this much fuss over a no-doubt SCAM E-Mail?

I see no point in doing it, just delete it and move on, god knows all of the scams are pure lies.

You're not serious are you?

@Hybrid: Your looking at conservatism in the very literal sense of the word. Though saving money is a good thing, I doubt any self identified conservative will tell you that the entire basis of their political philosophy is to save money. The people in the US government still are conservatives in a sense; they have removed the government's stake in the market through deregulation and privatization, one of the basic principles of modern-day fiscal conservative.

And it is this deregulation and privatization that has caused these bankers to be able to make stupid moves (sub-prime mortgages) that can adversly effect the entire US economy.

The conservative ideology of the American government, at least in some aspects, was responsible for this crisis.

Edited by Cossack, 26 September 2008 - 02:53 PM.

[Phil]

If our "free market" were actually free, then it wouldn't be nearly as bad as it is. It seems every politician who gets his hands on a little power wants to screw with the economy.

Yeah, sure. Your "unfree" market was quite obviously a bit too free, as this current crisis proved. It was the lack of regulations that made this possible, not the opposite. Giving the market the necessary freedom is important, but it requires some regulations to guarantee a certain economic stability. The US market has always been high-return-high-risk, but that means you'll get a pretty bad crisis now and then.

Funnily, people always complain that the state messes with the economy, however the first thing they cry for when such a crisis arises is state support.

LOL. The people in your government are not conservative. They claim they are but they are not. Conservatism is based on conserving, obviously. Being fiscally conservative. Which is a good thing. People don't prosper on spending, they prosper on saving, which is exactly what the "conservatives" / "republicans" are not doing. They are not conservative.

You might be partly right, but keep in mind that only spending money and buying stuff will actually keep the economy going. If people save too much, they'll soon have no more income. I heard that many people in th US basically live on credit, should that actually be true, I'd agree with you for that particular case.


Edit: @Cossack: I totally agree with you.

Edited by Dark Lord of the Sith, 26 September 2008 - 08:53 PM.

[Rafv Nin IV]

Yeah, sure. Your "unfree" market was quite obviously a bit too free, as this current crisis proved. It was the lack of regulations that made this possible, not the opposite. Giving the market the necessary freedom is important, but it requires some regulations to guarantee a certain economic stability. The US market has always been high-return-high-risk, but that means you'll get a pretty bad crisis now and then.

I'm merely saying that the constant flucuation in economic policy has done a fair share of its own damage, not that complete economic freedom would solve anything. It wouldn't. Ayn Rand's perfect paradise doesn't exist. But each successive administration has pretty much had its own financial strategy, and if a single course were kept (provided it isn't a completely handicapped one), then it probably wouldn't be quite so bad.

And it is this deregulation and privatization that has caused these bankers to be able to make stupid moves (sub-prime mortgages) that can adversly effect the entire US economy.

While that is certainly a part of it, I'd say that stupid people doing stupid things is the primary reason.

Edited by Ravnin IV, 26 September 2008 - 10:56 PM.

[Tom]

The federal reserve is mainly to blame for the economic crisis, the "conservatives" in your government are just traitors and crooks that aided in allowing it to cripple your country for their personal gain.

[Phil]

I'm merely saying that the constant flucuation in economic policy has done a fair share of its own damage, not that complete economic freedom would solve anything. It wouldn't. Ayn Rand's perfect paradise doesn't exist. But each successive administration has pretty much had its own financial strategy, and if a single course were kept (provided it isn't a completely handicapped one), then it probably wouldn't be quite so bad.

I agree with that, however the current course is completely handicapped if you ask me. It lacks some important security mechanisms which are absolutely required in "social" capitalism.

While that is certainly a part of it, I'd say that stupid people doing stupid things is the primary reason.

Yeah, but if all parts of our society were fine and dandy, we wouldn't need laws and regulations in the first place. The point is that frauds and greedy corporations (like banks) will always play their games and unless you have some effective regulations, you'll face this exact same problem again and again.
Regulation: As little as possible, but as much as necessary.

[Soul]

The federal reserve is mainly to blame for the economic crisis, the "conservatives" in your government are just traitors and crooks that aided in allowing it to cripple your country for their personal gain.

What do they gain from crippling the country?

[Alias]

Money.

[Soul]

They must be very greedy and selfish if they want money at the cost of crippling a country :/.

Edited by Soul, 27 September 2008 - 02:03 AM.

[some_weirdGuy]

@vort: i was referring to this:

Dear American:

I need to ask you to support an urgent secret business relationship with a transfer of funds of great magnitude.

I am Ministry of the Treasury of the Republic of America. My country has had crisis that has caused the need for large transfer of funds of 700 billion dollars US. If you would assist me in this transfer, it would be most profitable to you.

I am working with Mr. Phil Gramm, lobbyist for UBS, who will be my replacement as Ministry of the Treasury in January. As a Senator, you may know him as the leader of the American banking deregulation movement in the 1990s. This transaction is 100% safe.

This is a matter of great urgency. We need a blank check. We need the funds as quickly as possible. We cannot directly transfer these funds in the names of our close friends because we are constantly under surveillance. My family lawyer advised me that I should look for a reliable and trustworthy person who will act as a next of kin so the funds can be transferred.

Please reply with all of your bank account, IRA and college fund account numbers and those of your children and grandchildren to wallstreetbailout@treasury.gov so that we may transfer your commission for this transaction. After I receive that information, I will respond with detailed information about safeguards that will be used to protect the funds.

Yours Faithfully Minister of Treasury Paulson

edit: and @Soul: we're talking about politicians here, thats how they get the job in the first place...

Edited by some_wierdGuy, 27 September 2008 - 07:10 AM.

[Vortigern]

They must be very greedy and selfish if they want money at the cost of crippling a country :/.

They are. That's what being a wanker banker is all about.

[Tom]

Money, LOL. Money is becoming worthless. What they gain is power. This isn't just America, its the whole west. I still find it ridiculous that people don't see the same legislation getting passed in all western countries and not ask questions. Everytime there is a crisis in our countries we only ever get more centralisation. Coincidence? We know from history that totalitarian states are formed out of exploiting crisis', whether made by those who gain power or just by circumstance.