Being in the lower-echelons of the mortgage industry for over 7 years taught me a lot about the true meaning of capitalism. The truth is that there was extensive greed, a lack of concern for the future, and the overall fundamentalist belief that as long as money was being made (by someone), it was good for the economy and good for the world. Suffice to say that I believe George Soros is right when he refers to free-market capitalists as "market fundamentalists." Meaning that they cling to the one-solution idea that the free market is perfect, that it is self-correcting, that it is the end-all be-all solution, and that, even with some ups and downs, it is good for society, as it promotes innovation, safety, and general well being. Kind of like Christianity or Islam, eh? As we're finally seeing (after years of me futilely criticizing this notion), the markets need regulation. Again, Soros was the one who put it best when he said that all of man's creations are flawed. And since market economies are man-made, they are also inherently flawed. Even if you believe that free-market capitalism is a natural expression of human interaction, you have to still admit that people are flawed. But even if you still believe that free market capitalism still is perfect, you have to admit that you have to have an orderly and basically happy society to pull it off (or under the gun). And when things like the current crisis happen, you have a lot of angry people who are getting poorer. We're all poorer now than we were, some of us just don't know it yet. So, yeah, the market will correct itself (just like it does on paper when you take econ); but at what cost? Bubbles pop up, due to the simple fact that when people have a good thing going, they don't want to stop (making money). The mortgage bubble was a beautiful example. No one wanted to stop the gravy train, even if it meant ignoring the basic lending rules that money-lenders have used since time immemorial (and I mean that literally): does your borrower have income? does your borrower have debt? what is the borrower's intention with the money? This crisis was caused by companies ignoring these basic tenants and giving out easy credit to people who should have never gotten the loan in the first place due to the fact that odds were they were never going to be able to pay it back...especially once the rates increased on their ARM. Those loans, originally meant for savvy real estate tycoons and such who would leverage property here and there, using the capital to make more money, became available to the rest of us and I believe were a large part of the problem we're facing here. People with little or no income were given loans that everyone knew they would default on. As well as less-than-scrupulous investors that would create huge scams, that would involve hundreds of homes and developments, which flourished under these deregulated circumstances. As well as little scams in between. Yes, I used the watch word of the day: deregulation. Deregulation is a fancy word for "no rules." And guess what, greed takes over. No one wanted to stop making money in order to do the "right" thing and we now have a GLOBAL economic crisis. These worthless loans were packaged up in bunches to "securitize" them and then sold around the world as valuable commodities. Now, as the defaults come in from all of these people who shouldn't have been lent to in the first place, the value of these things plummet, and money disappears from the coffers of nations around the globe that were foolish enough to believe in them. Where did the money go? Well, I never worked as an accountant, but I'm pretty sure most of it went into executive's pockets and then into mansions, jets, hookers & blow (okay, well maybe that's where I'd put it). Then, in the greatest scam of our time (likely spearheaded by the MBA) the suddenly bankrupt companies get to dip into the taxpayer's treasure chest to keep them afloat, while the CEO's get to keep the money they awarded themselves year after year for doing such a great job. Wait, you say, they didn't do such a great job if the company has to look to the gov't to bail it out! Right you are, my friend; but, they have created a perception that the sky will fall if these big banks go down. So, we, the American Taxpayers, are blackmailed into giving up the last of our cash to the banks (what hasn't been spent on Iraq). Slowly, it seems as if the media is catching up with the sad truth that the executives made off with our treasury. They paid themselves billions in advance, building up companies on falsely valued holdings, and when the truth was found out, they were long gone with the money, leaving the wreckage behind for us to have to clean up. In essence, they were thieves. And don't tell me that they didn't know, because I knew, and I'm just a poor working stiff. And living in denial is no excuse.
But the real problem is coming. We Americans are used to getting pushed around, lied to, stolen from, and basically held down by the system of debt and stress that we all live in. Why else are we the most drugged-up nation in the world? However, the rest of the world, the people of the rest of the world, are likely going to be less forgiving of our selling them bunk goods. Goods that are threatening their economic stability as well. I think the first serious cries of criminal trials for these executives will come from overseas, and will likely force us into at least giving sham trials for the execs that are the most exposed, or have the least amount of political influence. The world will be angry soon...just wait.
In the end, the simple solution is regulation. Create rules for this game. Realize that there is more to life than just today's dollar. That everything we do has lasting consequences for the future. Is it any surprise that the free-market fundamentalists (Bush being their most recent champion) also don't believe in global warming? What do you mean that dumping chemicals in the water for the last 100 years actually does something bad? And that burning coal and oil creates a by-product that doesn't just drift off into space harmlessly? That everything is connected into one big system? How can we just do what we want with impunity if we have to think about consequences for our children and the world? No, best to deny that such things are real: scoff, hand-wave & bluster--and keep doing it, so no one really finds out the truth: that in free-market capitalism, there is a remainder. Think of it as a long division problem. Free market capitalists would have you believe that free markets produce a remainder of zero. That everything divides equally into everything else, leaving nothing behind, no loose ends and is perfect. However, the truth is becoming apparent (finally!) to the world that there are things that don't fit into the equation, that are left over from the process of free markets: pollution, global warming, pharmaceuticals in the water, land mines, homeless people, garbage island, etc. These are the products of rampant free market capitalism, of out of control progress, of the single-minded notion that more is always best, that faster is better, and that greed is good.
So, where does this leave us? Well, I find it fascinating that it was the free-market hero (GWB) that was begging Congress to use taxpayer money for the bailout, essentially advocating socialism and finally pissing off the true conservatives. This was basically proof that free-market capitalism has failed, and that regulated capitalism is the only way to go. FMC's have been crying about regulation for decades and how it stifles business and innovation. But, as we've seen, without regulation, people with no conscience or foresight can drive the world into disaster, just so they can be rich. Is it really that good to be rich, enough to hurt so many people? To subvert the future of the world just so you can live the lifestyles of the rich and famous? The phrase, "dirty money grubber" comes to mind. In the end, we're going to have to realize that a hybrid of capitalism and socialism is the best solution for our times. Free market capitalism, the spawn of colonialism, will have to die it's natural death, and we'll have to pick up the pieces of our shattered world economy and carry on...hopefully with lesson learned.
