The Financial Crisis and Its Enron Roots

September 25, 2008 RSS Feed Print

What should we have known when? Robert Bryce, writing over in our op-ed column yesterday, made the good point that the current financial crisis has its roots in the lessons we failed to learn after the collapse of Enron. It's a point echoed by Ron Suskind on today's New York Times op-ed page.

Tags:
history,
Enron,
Wall Street

Reader Comments Read all comments (4)

Add Your Thoughts
Your comment will be posted immediately, unless it is spam or contains profanity. For more information, please see our Comments FAQ.

GREED!! That's it in a nutshell. Any fifth-grader with a good command of math could have predicted today's crisis. I knew when sub-prime mortgages and interest-only mortgages were offered, there was big trouble ahead. But the big mortgage companies didn't give a damn, because they were making good money. Now we are in big trouble, and the only solution is government intervention...whether we like it on not. I hope any bailout will include returning the affected companies to the private sector....perhaps under new ownership. Otherwise we are another step toward Socialism...and that is simply not acceptable. However, there has to be more regulation and oversight. GREED is a big incentive to some, and all this could happen again. And those huge salaries and bonuses and golden parachutes for the big execs have to go. In fact, maybe some of those big execs have to go...to jail!!

Gary Johnson of OR 10:45PM September 25, 2008

Lyndon Larouche has and has been outlining lawful steps to stop this financial and economic mess. Do go to larouchepub.com

Carol

Carol Winters of OH 6:10PM September 25, 2008

Catherine Austin Fitts knew about the theft within HUD years ago whereby their were properties on paper which DID NOT EXIST that they were collecting money from within Public housing, on the backs of the poor and those with little to make it work in sociality!

In Illinois the issue was within the problems of non working eleavtors whereby the federal money was miss used and managed whereby children and people fell into open shafts because the equipment did not work due to on paper repairs, which never happened!

The issue of Real Estate, Housing fraud and Mortgage Banking problems began years ago and many watched in horror. The interest only program came out of programs on future appraised values which no one speaks of I know about it because I was in the Mortgage Industry and was a Director of a Gold coast Mortgage LLC. Money was being made, greed factors were present and then the real estate became a playground of developers and others getting your mother and fathers property for $200-300k which they had orginally purchased under $50k and then replacing the homes with 500k to millions of dollar property, which offered up a large bank roll for all involved except for the consumer who is now the fall guy in the mortgage mess.

The game was stated income whereby the consumer stated which they made, which was in many cases certifiec by CPA's the game then when into 1,2,3% interest and or interest only programs where the consumer was not really aware of the money they paid into this was going to the interest maybe only and or they had about less than 3% and the mortgage payment going into the principal of the loan. This meant that you have nothing built in to pull from if there was a crisis.

The money was flowing in and out of hands and the money was being made on the secondary market and this is where Freddie Mac and all the other Mac made there money because there was a value to your home on resale if the home was foreclosed on. today they claim they can not determine the value of these properties, the consumer are left on the doorsteps of the court house faced with adminstrative judgement know as "Summary Judgements" whereby you are already guilty of something, can not argue your case before the court because within this judgement the contract has determined your fate prior to having the rights to fight your case.

A few weeks ago I visited a chicago courthouse and saw paralegals with a least 40 cases on the desk (three of them within this hearing all with 40 cases a piece for just one courtroom calender hour) that means 160 people loss there homes only three people came because they had no money to fight with due to loss of job, lack of income and or being in a home they could had ever afforded. They all got between 30-60 days to vacate, they were evicted on to the streets. These people are Americans, middle class, the people who work everyday to just get by who have children and who are now thrusted into becoming the poor. There is no bailout. They did not use common sense they claim, they need to go to money management classes in order to get a loan, Many of these people were within the minority communities as well. The hour I was in that court all but less than 2% where black and spanish. They had no attorney nothing just now the streets. The housing issue is outrageous, condo's all over the place with fewer apartments available within affordable prices. The housing nightmare has only just begun. And the 70-987 billion dollars needed is just a bandage to next weeks shortage but it will make a lot of people lots of money when the stock market opens up on Monday of next week, Because as you sell they are buying your stock at little or nothing due to panic! If these billions of dollars are release it will help them gain but the problem is still there because they refuse to help bailout the people. So who needs money management classes you and them?

Look at Halliburton never paying back a dime of the money they used while over stating military invoices! we ate that one Joe public that is we sent water and food into our military men and women when there was no money available to do this via the military budget! Don't you recall? and no one asked them to pay the money back! and if in fact there was an accounting for over stated invoicing and it was paid back to the Fed's how much of refund could have been used to recoup the stock markettoday without asking the tax payers for a dime!

Our military was placed at great risk and no one did any thing and Bunny Greenhouse of the Army Core of Engineers loss her job over this one, for coming out and speaking the truth!

There are millions of insiders, whistleblowers who are still talking and filing suits whereby the justice department did nothing but ruin their life caused them to be followed harrassed investigated harmed bankrupt and or murdered I was one of them, I could not get work and was medical rendered yes they control the hospital via peer adminstrators who are backed my pharm industry ties into those who are within the whitehouse who can and will use clout against you again we saw warn and spoke out with nothing other than being called conspiracy nut cases. So is the bailout reasonable, no because they need to bailout America not just the top the very top in this crisis.

Where is the bailout for you me and the middle guys!

I TOOK A PROGRAM that could have stopped this months ago and got no where when they claimed there was interest in stopped the mortgage meltdown, even Larouche as another program as well, different than the one I offer all and all nothing no interest why? TO THEM IN CONGRESS AND SENATE ( not all of them but many involved who refused to involved themselved in a real solution are now coming to a time that the clock is ticking for them as far as if they will be reelected into office. because if they allow the people to go then who wants them back in again just think about it! Congressman Dennis Kucinich is an action man who is interested in the needs of the people, my idea is that if they can not do it now then why do you want them in and or still within these offices?

ONE THING MCCAIN DID STOP CAMPAIGNING TO DEAL WITH THE ISSUE NOW BUT WILL HE BE ON THE RIGHTS OF BAILING OUT AMERICANS! THEY NEED TO FREEZE ALL FORECLOSURES WITHIN THE COURT SYSTEM NOW AND ALLOW THE PEOPLE TO STAY IN THEIR HOMES UNTIL THIS ISSUE CORRECTED. NOT JUST BAIL OUT THE TRILLIONAIRE AT THE TOP OF THESE COMPANIES.

This is Bandage Politic's !

I had Catherine Austin Fitts on my program too! With Jack Wright from Texas who was the first of many victims of mortgage fraudm he made allegations against EMC Mortgage Company whose products where backed by Bearn Stern, which he alleged stole his home without due process of law, you see the mortgage industry legal teams are using administrative judgements whereby you are already guilty and all the courts are doing and I filed one on terrorist cell in Chicago with flight school whereby Chief Judge Holderman and so called US Attorney Fitzgerald covered it up and gagged it up. They have been doing this for years to all whistle blowers. There are so many cases filed against Bush and his administration, including others on the Arab royals involvement in the murder of John O'Neil whose Atty Ambush filed a huge billion dollar suit because the police experts found out that O'Neil the former FBI Agents body was later placed on the site on WTC and murdered elsewhere. My thing is that if the public really knew, and stopped thinking everything people are telling them is all lies and conspiracies. I knew about the fact that retirements and social security moneyz were not being paid into my corporations there were silence about these thefts and the government officials who should have investigated corruption in this covered it up because they all made money off the knowledge of people being used and pocketed.

I reported corruption and the States Attorney of Illinois refused to do a damn thing about and that includes the US Attorney and the FBI. I was in a home in Hinsdale Illinois whereby corrupt and criminal acts were allowed whereby someone used my address and phone number to the house I rented as a means to get a first time mortgage on the property I was in that they least to me (never owning it or having rights to rent) then turning around and getting $100k off the top once the loan was given to them. Just think you purchase a $350k home and get back at closing $100k in your hands that illegal but the courts allowed this fraud and the Office of Banks and Real estate refuse to investigate it, again this was then and now look at the mess.

MY former business partner was involved in funding terrorism via money from drugs 50 million mega tons of stuff he bought in under operation mountain express II a DEA arrest in 2002-4 which he served only a few years and is now back in my area as a real estate agent with century 21! These people were involved with using real estate for all types of fraud and corruption nothing was done and it all adding into this mess in todays market and reporting it went south because you became the victim of the jutice system!

They don't give a you know what about us! and this bailout is only a temporary bandage until they can get the last phase completed. I was in the mortgage industry saw this from the inside shutdown one business and attempted to get the Office of Banks and real estate to go after others for this I was attacked and the police violated my rights and hospitals have rendered me nearly dead from wrong meds.

The 700-987 billion dollars is for how long? huh was that the number from last week or does it cover until Bush gets out of office so the next guy will have to attempt to figure out what to do.

They have trillions of dollars in blackwater, halliburton, homeland security an are asking the public to support their goof up with nothing for the people the middle Americans and those at the bottom.

Yes the markets are crashing but so are the lives of billions of Americans who have loss they live in this mess! one by one people are on the street from bad loans which I refused to do, while I was in the mortgage industry. I felt that the consumer was just like me and I did not want to be lied to and vampired by greedy people who were no more than immoral A-holes.

Peace!

pass on

You can google me D'Anne Burley and or visit my programs at http://www.truthradio.com. 6-7 pm Mopn -Fri c entral time http://www.danneburleyshow.com. 6-7 pm centrail time Mon -Fri http://www.themicroeffect.com, 5-6pm central time or http://www.foneshow.com 6-7 central time Mon -Sat just sign-up under talk radio and look for my name I am also a street reporter for 89.5 FM in Chicago Vocalo Public Radio. Blogtalkradio.com Mon -Fri 6-7 pm central Can be reached by phone at 1-630-666-8528 write to me: D'Anne Burley 3150 Finley Rd Suite 310, Downers Grove Illinois 60515

DAnne Burley of IL 11:48AM September 25, 2008

Robert Schlesinger

Robert Schlesinger

Robert Schlesinger is managing editor for opinion at U.S. News and World Report, overseeing all opinion editorial content. He is the author of White House Ghosts: Presidents and Their Speechwriters. Follow him on Twitter: @rschles.

advertisement

Robert Schlesinger

No White Knight to Save Republicans

The GOP is stuck with Romney, Gingrich, Santorum, or Paul.

Mary Kate Cary

Obama’s War on Religion

The uproar over the Obamacare contraception mandate is about more than just birth control and Catholics

Latest Video

advertisement