Charlie Rose

yankate  07/09/2009 12:32 AM Report

Another meeting of high level talking heads where there was no attention given to the role which our wars of choice play in ratcheting up the deficit. It appears that the Haves--represented by the typical Charlie Rose guest-- are not only still playing with other people's money, but with other people's children's lives. If these people don't calculate the costs of war as net losses, they must somehow see these as profits. ARE such people benefitting from these wars economically? Good war stocks?

Tonight's show was a demonstration of the same casual arrogant self interest , dressed up as "expert opinion" which caused the crisis and which framed the bailouts.Until those who frame the debates feel the pain we cannot expect to see solutions which benefit the Little People.

younganddumb  01/30/2008 02:12 AM Report

To RE Mant:

Considering Goldman Sachs is profiting enormously from the recent downturn, and has avoided all the losses seen from the other banks I do not understand how the Goldman economist is biased at all.

AARON BENEZRA  01/24/2008 02:57 AM Report

OF MICE AND MEN - The previous comments are all interesting and I look forward to reading more. One thing that strikes me is that when profits are up and not yet reflected in the costs of labor and materials, the economy is said to be booming - not that inflated profits are being received in advance of the inevitable attempt to catch up and share in the prosperity by labor, which is subsequent to increases in materials costs by resource providers, who also want to share in the prosperity. It is when the labor market begins to share in the prosperity -- if it even catches up to the high prices and fixed costs that the labor market suffers -- that "inflation" is on the lips of the finance world. What is not spoken of in regards to this ever cyclic economic grand prix race, however, is the accelerated rate at which, worldwide, we overpopulated humans are consuming and trashing the planet. There is no better reflection of the concept of 'borrowing against the future possibility of life on our planet' than the current crisis born of speculative borrowing. In the short run, it is obvious that we need to encourage "green" technology. In the long run, only if we can somehow prove ourselves greater than mice, can we perhaps reduce overpopulation and reverse the ravaging of the planet. In this regard for both the short term and long term, one of the most prudent "green" economic options might be to ferociously apply the nuclear power option and the solar and wind power options, even as we are already starting to transition away from the gasoline powered automobile. Nuclear power may be the key to economically engaging in desalination, and as the deserts of the world grow in size and scope, and as the populations of the world are crowded together where there is fresh water, it is clear and obvious that only fresh water obtained from desalinization will enable humanity to live, where desert currently makes living almost impossible. As to the spent nuclear fuel? The Moon is the closest relatively safe, uninhabited location to deposit spent nuclear fuel -- as long as "we" control the dump, and not "them".

incredulous  01/23/2008 11:00 AM Report

Steve, agree completely but would place Obama behind Edwards. Edwards the only one that sees the Corporatists lobbying influence as one of major corrosive forces destroying our system. A venal government providing cover for a venal corporate elite. Was it Marx or Lenin that predicted capitalism would consume itself with it's own greed? Citigroup, duplicitous in hiding loans to Enron, is fighting the victims settlement claims. Followed by egregious greed of exploiting the most vulnerable in the most evil manner of enticing them into subprime loans - only to repossess them later. Can you smell the sulfur?

steve  01/23/2008 08:56 AM Report

I think both sides of the aisle are finally realizing that we have been living on borrowed time and beyond our means during Bush II and probably since goof ball Reagan was in the WH.

The concentration of wealth in this counry is at historic highs and should be (but it not) cause for concern for our democracy. Over the last 20 years, democracy in the US has been losing out to unstructured capitalism and greed.

How many more times are we going to bail out the Banksters? How many more wars are we going to take on for the sake of BIG OIL? How much longer is the middle class going to have to carry the load - in both taxes as well as lost lives on the front lines.

It's time that we have trued PATRIOTISM - lets focus on our Democracy (what is god for the majority and not the ruling class) and less focus on unstructured and unregulated CAPITALISM. The trickle down anti-government economic fan club has had it their way for 20 plus years - and it's NOT working. We are NOT better off today than we were in 1988.

America wake up. Let's hope we elect a President who is not married to or part of the policies of the past 20 years. The Republicans don't have anyone running who fits that bill. The Dems only have one - Obama. If we can elect an African American as President - the south will have trouble with that one - then we have a shot at the needed changes. Any of the others, and the middle class and the majority are just plain screwed.

Billionaires for Bush  01/23/2008 03:30 AM Report

Shame on Incredulous and Mant. Us billionaires put this government in office. We BOUGHT this government so that it would do what we want. Haven't Americans figured that out yet?

incredulous  01/23/2008 12:43 AM Report

RE Mant said it nicely. Where were the wise guys on the way up on the bubble. Exploiting the vulnerable, sucking their economic blood with the hope of the American dream. Rapacious interest rates and no-mercy bankruptcy laws lobbyed through - they'll then vulturize their remains. Then the same wise-guys come on talk shows as experts. Amazing re the extent of total concert all the largest financials a la Citigroup et al in lock step joined in the subprime raping of the system with such voracious egregious greed that the world is near global recession. And they're rewarded with golden parachutes rather than prison or more deservedly their own 'extraordinary rendition.'

RE Mant  01/22/2008 11:19 PM Report

I cannot imagine two more biased commentators on this issue, both of whom want to be bailed out with MY money, and the money of thousands of others who have not occasioned this mess especially the poor and elderly. These ppl should be allowed to lose their shirts and if they want to jump out of hotel windows they have my permission. Any help to innocent ppl should come out the pockets of those who benefited from the boom brought about by the unwarranted interest rate cuts earlier in this decade. The Fed's move stinks of being an attempt to preserve their own reputation, much like Bush's attempt to leave office without the stigma of having almost single-handedly wrecked this country. Worst this reveals the attitude of such ppl that social good is measured in monetary terms alone.