Letter: Brown catches Obama's attention

Dear Editor:

The upset victory of Republican Scott Brown for the special election Senate seat in Massachusetts has apparently gotten the attention of Obama and company like no other event to date.

The American people are fed up with all the favors bestowed on Wall Street over the past 12 months, as well as the grandiose health-care plan being foisted upon us, and are responding with their vote.

In response to this threat to the Democratic Party and to his administration, Obama is lashing out with vehement rhetoric against Wall Street. In the weeks ahead, I’m sure we will see Congress and the President put on a show of reproach reserved for these occasions as they pretend to admonish their banking buddies in an effort to calm the angry voters. Some weak regulatory measures will no doubt be put into place to “ensure that this financial debacle doesn’t happen again.” But once the public outrage fades, ways will be found around these obstacles and the stage will soon be set for the next round of the fleecing of the American people.

What I find odd in the clash of classes in our country is the complete lack of restraint of the upper class in the process of looting our treasury. It seems to me that common sense would dictate an effort for the upper class to keep their greed subdued until Main Street gets back on its feet so as not to arouse the ire of the populace. Instead, bankers and CEOs are paying themselves the largest bonuses ever. For the banks, auto companies, and insurance companies bailed out of financial ruin by the American taxpayers to pay their executives multimillion dollar bonuses out of the rescue package can be construed as laughing at us as they steal our money. I hope Obama’s late hour recognition of this may help us get back on the tracks after the yearlong derailment, but I suspect any effort by the President or Congress will be only empty rhetoric for political gain.

Bill Payne

Libby