Arianna Huffington: Sunday Roundup
As satisfying as it was watching Goldman Sachs executives being grilled by the Senate this week (especially Carl Levin's "shitty deal" barrage), the sense of justice being done was tempered by the stench of hypocrisy hovering over the proceedings. After all, of the committee's ten Senators, only Ted Kaufman has not accepted campaign contributions from Goldman. Plus, as truly appalling as Goldman's behavior has been, much -- though certainly not all -- of what Goldman did fell within the rules set up by Congress. The Senators seemed intent on getting Goldman to apologize. But don't our representatives owe us an apology too? For instance, Susan Collins, who berated Goldman execs at the hearing, voted to repeal Glass-Steagall. Have we gotten an apology from her yet? Yes, Goldman should be held accountable; but so should our elected officials.
As long as special interests are free to pay for campaign costs, there will be no level playing field. Big business will always win and the people will lose. This is what is happening in the US today. We no long have a Democracy. It's time to stand up and and take back our country from Big Business.