A National Diogenes Night

With all the current troubles and turmoil plaguing us, I think it is time to express our collective disgust with politicians, bankers, Wall Street types, automotive executives, union bosses, and Congress among others. Billions of taxpayer $$$ are bailing out banks, insurance companies, underwriters, and most likely the Big Three American auto companies.

Why?

The short answer is greed.

Greed of the Congress, greed of the bankers, greed of the insurance people, greed from Wall Street who invented a new method of making money by selling sub-prime mortgage loans - as securities, no less-that Congress insisted banks make despite borrowers not having the required means to repay the loans.

A question: If banks and mortgage companies sold their sub prime loans to Freddie and Fannie -who have already been rescued by the taxpayers - why did the banks need a bailout? Since the banks passed their sub prime loans to Freddie and Fannie, they no longer held the loans. So why did they need a bailout? I have yet to hear an explanation from the "experts" on this question.

And it gets worse. Detroit wants the taxpayers to bail it out of the financial hole it has been digging itself into for the past 30 years. Which special interest group will be next in line?

My view is that dishonesty and greed are the root causes of our current mess.

Therefore, I propose a National Diogenes Night.

Fill your lantern, put new batteries in your flashlights, carry a torch, and join me as we search for an honest person.

10 January 2009 at 7:00 PM Eastern is the date.

Let's find at least one honest person in our nationwide search!

In case you do not know Diogenes was a Greek from long ago, before television, who searched for an honest man by the light of a lantern.