Global Scams: The Jew Banker Files

My roommate has an in with the Young Conspiracists of Orange County, aka our friends and neighbors down the street. It began months ago with “common sense” support for Ron Paul’s libertarian ideals and a strong component of legitimate (if misunderstood) concerns about the future of the U.S. economy. This quickly grew into a marijuana-fueled research binge regarding an Illuminati/NWO-style global conspiracy centered on the Rothschild family.

The theories are full of idiosyncratic beliefs and little catch phrases. Self-identifying libertarians consider the quasi-governmental Federal Reserve an outrage. Why private control over monetary policy? That should be in the hands of the… government… that we otherwise want to privatize. And the income tax should be eliminated because all it does is pay interest on our foreign debts. Debts that, in this framework, we should presumably default on.

I’ve wanted to write about this Rothschild conspiracy for a while now, but refuting it would be like trying to refute the existence of God in a single post. The Rothschilds were behind the assassinations of Lincoln and Kennedy. They wield ultimate power over world events, these events aided their agenda, therefore they were responsible. It’s not falsifiable, a matter of faith in the guise of reason.

When one’s mind can’t wrap around a complex issue, grandiose schemes often follow. Central banks engage in behavior that, if selectively filtered, certainly appears to be the underpinning of a global scam. It’s probably still better for me than governmental short-sightedness or free market anarchy. Banking and finance in general is shady. When times are good, huge bonus pools make a small percentage of people very rich. When things inevitably go bad, we’ve gotten into the habit of bailing banks out. This won’t help limit the damage of future bubbles.

It took me hours of reading very dumbed down explanations of what was going on with the CDOs, rating agencies, and SIVs underpinning the liquidity crisis that followed the subprime meltdown to understand the process. Once it clicked, I was able to delve deeper into the topic, but it’s not an extreme oversimplification to say that crap was packaged with lesser crap and rated investment-grade non-crap that was bought up like crazy by very smart people who, despite their capabilities, often had no fucking idea what they actually held. There will be bailouts, massive write downs, a smaller round of bonuses this year (record-setting $38 billion compared to $36 billion last year… nevermind, get ready for another run on Ferraris), and $160 million golden parachutes to the chief executives that stood around while their companies waded through shit.

I have concerns about our economy. The dollar propped up by oil and use as the global reserve currency – both of which will slowly change out of our favor. The massive debt that yes, does result in many of our tax dollars going towards debt service. Massive trade deficits. Governmental inability to properly allocate funds with a long-term mindset. Special interest groups with favored status and no indication of change. The fact that these issues are too complex for 95% of the population to understand, and it’s much easier to blame illegal immigrants and “welfare queens” for all our woes.

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Rich people do control the world. Military, political, and business leaders belong to the same social group. People with power seek to maintain that power. Bill Gates and Warren Buffett may support the estate tax, but most people who are going to be hit by it perpetuate the “lost family farm” myth. Sidenote: it is hypocritical to conspiratorially decry ultra-wealthy banking families while simultaneously supporting the abolition of the estate tax – one of the only useful checks on the growth of dynastic wealth.

Rich people send their kids to the same elite prep schools and join the same Ivy League secret societies. They ski the same slopes and play golf at the same exclusive country clubs. They sit on the boards of one another’s companies and have a vested interest in seeing one another succeed. When someone has to take a fall, he receives a $160 million thank you for showing himself the door. I don’t deny that good executives are worth their weight in gold, and I wouldn’t wish the stress of being the CEO of a major transnational on anyone. Hint: it’s not all business golf meetings. But don’t look to the boards to rein in executive compensation.

It is a conspiracy: “any concurrence in action; combination in bringing about a given result.” Rich people have power and they exercise it to maintain their power. They control policy through think tanks and public discourse through the media. Even most liberals think unions are destroying our economy, and how precisely did this belief get spread? My roommate keeps mentioning that Clinton has been the #1 recipient of corporate funds, proving that she’s the corporate pawn. I think most reasonable people have realized by now that presidential elections feature two sides of the same coin. Clinton’s getting money because she’s favored to win.

The CIA deposed every democratically elected regime in Latin America over the course of decades and propped up dictators. To what extent it was the irrational fear of socialism or to ensure our access to their markets is debatable. However, it was not simply the machinations of one family. Of course, that’s what they want me to think. I am 100% certified sheeple.