Who Will Stand Up to Wall Street?
This post first appeared in In These Times.
(AP Photo/Henny Ray Abrams)
Wall Street held itself a big fat profit party last week. The nation’s six largest banks reported $23 billion in profits. That’s for one quarter — three months. Pop the champagne. Buy another Lamborghini.
Well, if you’re a Wall Street banker, that is. Not if you’re a college student looking for a loan. Because bankers and Congress don’t intend to give you a break today.
Not if you’re one of the hundreds of thousands of workers furloughed because of the sequester. Because Congress has no intention of charging highflying banks a financial transaction tax, the revenues from which could prevent many of those cuts.
Not if you’re one of those middle class Americans who bailed out the banks and now fears renewed recklessness on Wall Street will require another rescue. Because Wall Street has persuaded Congress that it really, really should not closely regulate banks.
But, hey, they’re partying on Wall Street, right? The thing is, people are supposed to rule. Not Wall Street, not banks, not money. People rule in a democracy. This is something apparently forgotten by some in Congress. Banks are corporations, which are legal entities established under rules written by people. Their existence should advance America and Americans. Not the other way around. Many in Congress need to be reminded of that.
Keep Reading: Who Will Stand Up to Wall Street? | Perspectives, What Matters Today | BillMoyers.com.
