27 September 2008

Everything I know about banking, I learned from this guy


Don't recognize him? That's Mr. Banks (David Tomlinson) from Disney's Mary Poppins.

George Banks was the model of discipline, restraint and temperance. He wouldn't even let his kids spend two cents to buy some seed for the birds. Bastard! But bankers are supposed to be bow-tie sporting, wing-tip wearing, ultra-conservative dicks. Not some coke-snorting, risk-taking seat-of-the-pants-flying, over-paid cash whores on a bender in a college town. And that is why this economic "crisis" leaves me with a very large 1980s hangover.

I can't believe that anyone, bankers and investment professionals included, can't understand that if you build your house on a bed of sand (and suck all the cash out of an enterprise), one day the whole house collapses.

In any event, I found this interesting article in the Business section of the Times today that at least can explain to me HOW we got here, if not why we got here. At least I feel like I can educate myself on these topics. Better late than never.

No comments:

Post a Comment