Goldman Sachs: How They Fleeced America and Why They're Gonna Get Away With It.

 "[Goldman Sachs] weren't murderers or anything; they had merely stolen more money than most people can rationally conceive of, from their own customers, in a few blinks of an eye. But then they went one step further. They came to Washington, took an oath before Congress, and lied about it.

The legal definition of financial fraud may be murky and complex, but everybody knows you can't lie to Congress. The punishment is up to five years in federal prison.

Former MLB pitching great Roger Clemens is indicted for almost the exact same thing.

Will it happen again, this time to the "1100-pound medical emergency" that is Goldman?

Notable Recipients of Goldman Sachs political donations (2008)

D-Barack Obama ($995,745)

D-Hilary Clinton ($401,950)

R-Mitt Romney ($235,275)

R-John McCain ($234,695)

R-Rudolph Giuliani ($111,725)

D-John Edwards ($71,650)

D-Rahm Emanuel ($42,350)

Notable Recipients of Goldman Sachs political donations (2010) 

D-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid ($44,300)
R-House Majority Leader Eric Cantor ($27,650)
R-House Speaker John Boehner ($15,000)

R-Senator Roy Blunt ($51,692)
D-Congressman Jim Himes ($40,750)
R-Senator Marco Rubio ($35,092)
R-Senator Richard Shelby ($34,600)
D-Senator Charles E. Schumer ($31,900)
R-Congressman Robert Dold ($23,800)

Notable Past Donations
Former President George W. Bush (R)---(2004, $390,675---2000, $137,499)
Former President Bill Clinton (D)---(1996, $43,384---1992, $99,275)
Presidential Candidate John Kerry (D) (2004, $304,750)
Presidential Candidate Al Gore (D) (2000, $97,050)
Former President George Bush (R) (1992, $68,250)

Former and current Treasury secretaries previously employed by Goldman or with substantial links to Goldman Appointed by Clinton (D), Robert Rubin (1995-1999)---former co-chairman of Goldman Sachs Appointed by Clinton (D), Lawrence Summers (1999-2001)---paid $135,000 for a speaking engagement for Goldman Sachs in 2008, appointed Obama Adminastration's Director of the White House National Economic Council. Appointed by Bush (R), Henry Paulson (2006-2009)---former CEO of Goldman Sachs Appointed by Obama (D), Timothy Geithner (2009-present)---former head of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. American taxpayers deserve better. It is clear that the banks cannot be trusted to regulate themselves, and that the unchecked power and influence such firms as Goldman have in Washington have come at the cost of graft and perjury that has cost American children the opportunity to live debt-free, and American workers the chance at a secure and prosperous job. I sincerely hope for justice, but I know there probably won't be any because...

 Goldman Sachs-the most bipartisan organization in America

Big Ben on the tape.

http://norris.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/27/live-blogging-bernankes-news-conference-2/?hp

The New York Times is following Ben Bernanke's news conference. It seems that, as far as I've gleaned, the loose monetary policy the Fed has embarked on with rounds of quantitative easing is going to end. Whether or not the American economy will start losing momentum with this announcement and the impending budget cuts is the big question. Britain, a case study for austerity measures, seems to have done decently, even if there was a slight blip.

http://forexblog.oanda.com/20110427/uk-economy-grows-0-5-in-q1/

Still, they're not even close to getting out of the woods, and things don't look great. There's no need to even mention the disastrous implications of IMF measures on the poor debt lepers of the Eurozone. I'm slightly worried, to be honest, that the American economy might just relapse into contraction.

Still, you gotta balance the budget someday I suppose. 

On a somewhat related note, in my head, given recent events, I've already constructed how America could fall if her policy-makers aren't careful---rampant inflation caused by peak oil, food riots, a Republican administration that goes bats*** crazy about inflation and instability, and tightens money policy up to the maximum, with massive cuts in social welfare programs to balance out a China-like budget for domestic security (of course, tax increases will never come into the question, and in fact further tax cuts will be given.). Then, there will be riots about the cuts. because of previous cuts in welfare programs (low-income housing/education etc.) and the continuation of drug war policy, you have an underclass of people just spoiling for blood since they have basically been given nothing for their lives.

I guess that fills my "2012" quota of the year. incidentally, I guess that means the last time I can mention apocalypse is when the goddamn thing will be happening.