Interesting People mailing list archives
Re: This Is Leadership?
From: David Farber <dave () farber net>
Date: Mon, 29 Sep 2008 18:23:00 -0400
Begin forwarded message: From: Lauren Weinstein <lauren () vortex com> Date: September 29, 2008 5:58:13 PM EDT To: dave () farber net Cc: lauren () vortex com Subject: Re: [IP] This Is Leadership?
Anyone for term limits?
No. Term limits are increasingly being seen around the country as utterly counterproductive to having real experience in our leaders. Where term limits are in place, we typically see a constant parade of inexperienced and often ineffectual politicians who are forced out just as they begin to hit their stride. Term limits have nothing to do with Congress' action today. LIES do. The American people have been screaming bloody murder at their representatives that they don't want the Wall Street bailout (now called "rescue" to sound less like the charity it is). Viewed dispassionately, it's clear that *some* sort of bailout (not necessarily the one just voted down) is needed. Quickly. But we've been lied to so much that it's completely understandable why people feel the way they do. Lied to about the PATRIOT Act. Lied to about Iraq. Lied to by their mortgage lenders and banks, and by untold numbers of economic pundits. And why don't people see the urgency? One factor is that the workings of the credit market have been largely invisible to most of us. But there's another factor. Turn on the TV. Turn on the radio. You'll see and hear the same array of commericials for investment plans and cheap home loans as always. It's as if nothing whatever has changed, like a parallel universe to the crisis atmosphere we see on the news in between the advertising spots. What's more, I have yet to see a single spot from any bank or financial institution that says, "We're suspending our normal ads to tell you that we're in crisis. And we need your help. And we apologize for our greed and misleading actions up to now." Fat chance. Instead, what we see and hear is business as usual. Invest! Buy! Dream the dream! No wonder that most people feel that they're being fed yet another lie, and are passing along these feelings to their congressmen. The financial industry is now reaping the whirlwind of greed. And the rest of us are being sucked into their nightmare. --Lauren-- Lauren Weinstein lauren () vortex com or lauren () pfir org Tel: +1 (818) 225-2800 http://www.pfir.org/lauren Co-Founder, PFIR - People For Internet Responsibility - http://www.pfir.org Co-Founder, NNSquad - Network Neutrality Squad - http://www.nnsquad.org Founder, PRIVACY Forum - http://www.vortex.com Member, ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy Lauren's Blog: http://lauren.vortex.com ------------------------------------------- Archives: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/247/=now RSS Feed: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/rss/247/ Powered by Listbox: http://www.listbox.com
Current thread:
- This Is Leadership? David Farber (Sep 29)
- <Possible follow-ups>
- Re: This Is Leadership? David Farber (Sep 29)
- Re: This Is Leadership? David Farber (Sep 29)
- Re: This Is Leadership? David Farber (Sep 29)
- Re: This Is Leadership? David Farber (Sep 29)
- Re: This Is Leadership? David Farber (Sep 29)
- Re: This Is Leadership? David Farber (Sep 30)