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Who Needs al-Qaida?By Kathleen Jones
But can we put the blame on just one person, or group of persons? No, because as so often is the case in a crisis of this magnitude, there are a multitude of players. Some are active and willing participants; others are passive “partners in crime” who see the problem but are unwilling to do anything to correct it. Then who are these people responsible for bankrupting major corporations, creating an economic environment in which massive layoffs are the norm, while fleecing millions from the investment and retirement accounts of working people like you and me? They are the politicians in Washington who were repeatedly warned of abuses in the stock market, but turned a deaf ear to the cries for reform. They are the watch dog agencies like the Securities and Exchange Commission, whose job it is to protect consumers and investors, but like the politicians chose instead to ignore the warning signs. They are the investment firms who should have been looking out for their clients, but were blinded by dollar signs, choosing only to see bigger and bigger profits while ignoring the fragile structure upon which they were built. They are the accountants who were supposed to be protecting investors and corporations against just such frauds, but instead became active, and even willing, participants. They are the CEOs who were supposed to insure the integrity of their corporations, but who instead have raped them blind, using corporate monies as if they were their own personal cash cows. They have names such as Nacchio (QWest), Koslowski (Tyco), Waksal (ImClone), Winnick (Global Crossing), Skilling (Enron), Levin (AOL Time Warner), and Rigas (Adelphia). They are the friends of “Big Business,” men (and let’s face it, they are mostly men!) in positions of authority who should have known better. They are people like President George W. Bush, who today pay lip-service to the public outrage by condemning such things as insider loans, yet who themselves were engaged in these same unethical business practices only a few years ago. While everyone was distracted by higher and higher stock markets, bigger and bigger profits, more and more ludicrous CEO “perks” – NO ONE was looking out for the ordinary, common, working folk. The people like you and me! The little guy who tries to save some of his or her hard-earned wages to invest for the future – our children’s college education, or our own retirement. Not for us the $248 million made in the sale of stock options such as Joseph Nacchio made, nor the $196 million made by Dennis Kozlowski. Would it not be a shame if Kozlowski would lose his $135 million in dismissal fees if convicted on tax charges? And wouldn’t you just love to use your company’s funds so your family could buy a professional sports team? Now that all the corruption is being exposed, the big-shot politicians want to correct the problem. A little like shutting the barn door after the horses run out, don’t you think? Well it’s time for working men and women like you and me to make our voices heard, and tell them in Washington and across the country that it’s NO MORE BUSINESS AS USUAL! We need to do more than just take a stand, we need to take our convictions to the polls this November and send a message so loud and clear that no one will misunderstand it. It is time we take back control of our government by electing officials who will represent OUR needs, the needs of WORKING AMERICANS! This November, get out and VOTE. Remember, voting is EMPOWERMENT. It is your CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT! Exercise your right and VOTE!! Let them know in Washington, on Wall Street, and across Corporate America – NO MORE BUSINESS AS USUAL!
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They are like rogue animals raging out of control, answering to no one, leaving broken dreams and ruin in their wake. Their actions have created crisis after crisis, leaving the US economy heavily damaged and badly weakened. Who are the perpetrators of these dreadful deeds? Are they foreign terrorists pledged to bring down our country? No, they are worse. They are corrupt CEOs, accountants, stock market manipulators, and others whose greed and avarice have accomplished what the terrorist attacks of September 11th failed to do – bring about the biggest economic crisis this country has seen in many a decade. To paraphrase an old saying, with “friends” like this, who needs al-Qaida?
