Monday, January 12, 2009

Ye old revolving doors

I was some what amazed at the Bernard Madoff scandal, maybe not amazed, but rather amused. Not because a few folks killed themselves, or a lot of rich folks lost all they loot, but rather because this crook, was also once the former chairman of NASDEQ. Now if that aint funny nothing is, not to mention that his investment arm was not even registered with the SEC until September 2006. Add to that, who would not be leery of a man with the name made-off? But that is how Washington and Wall Street insiders act, they used to going through them revolving doors from Washington to Wall Street, and to the SEC in this example. Madoff had a good reputation with folk on Wall Street and for a typical insider that is good enough for them. That’s the problem.

The SEC will never work as an effective watch dog over folk like Madoff. Namely because they are folk. Madoff as others on Wall Street interchange jobs like a connecting flight through Hartsfield/Jackson international Airport. The Madoff scandal is a black eye to the reputation of the Securities and Exchange Commission, who is supposed to police shit like this. However, folks like outgoing SEC Chairman Christopher Cox seem to have no clue or worse, turn a blind eye to their own kind. Cox after all said that Bear Stearns was in good shape three days before this investment house belly-flopped. Not to mention he mad at folks in the SEC (when they had been informed for decades) for not being able to notice the foul stuff being implemented by Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC.

Folks around the world took looses because institutions like the SEC and our Federal government care more about the folks who they know and support them than the implementation of objective critical thought. In the United Kingdom, Kingate Global Fund Ltd, reportedly lost $2.5 billion. Ascot Partners $1.8 billion, Access International Advisors $1.4 billion, Maxam Capital Management LLC $280 million and the banks HSBC and RBS have lost $1 billion and $600 million. The Spanish bank Banco Santander and Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (BBV), have reported losses of $3.1 billion and $405 million accordingly.

I do not see these types of acts changing in the near future, and suspect a many more complex hustles in the futures and securities markets to be still in play, even with Obama naming the current head of the Wall Street Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Mary Schapiro, as the new head of the SEC. Why do I say this? Well truth is known is that the folks who work for the big banks and financial institution of Wall Street are the same ones who work in the SEC. They go back and forth like the rubber ball in a game of dodge ball. Take Cox for example, which from 1978 to 1986, who was a venture capital and corporate finance lawyer with the international law firm of Latham & Watkins. He was supposedly over the Corporate Department in Orange County (they went bankrupt a few years back). He also received a MBA and JD from Harvard as well as taught federal income tax courses at the Harvard Business School.

Schapiro is no different. She was appointed by President Clinton in 1994 to be chairperson of the federal Commodity Futures Trading Commission – we see where that got us today, although she was supposed to be responsible for regulating the US futures markets. Before that, she served for six years as a Commissioner of the Securities and Exchange Commission being appointed in 1988 by President Reagan and reappointed by President Bush in 1989.

The SEC, regardless of who runs it, will never look out for the common man (folks who don’t work on Wall Street or hold political office). In October of last year, they gave "preferential treatment" to Wall Street executive John Mack during an insider trading investigation because he was about to become CEO of the Morgan Stanley investment banking firm. Now I am only saying that it is impossible for folks to police themselves. I don’t think you would let Crips police Crips in a federal correctional facility, so what is difference here? None, nada, zero is the answer. I don’t know why folks are so protective of the next president of these United States of America; likewise, I do not know why they are hypersensitive of folks who review and evaluate his proposed policies and his cabinet choices. It only makes logical sense to me. I remember doing the same regarding the current Bush – especially with respect to his incessant mentioning of “compassionate Conservatism.” His words, policies and appointments demonstrated neither compassion nor conservatism to me, especially with appointments of folk the likes of Dick Cheney, Don Rumsfeld and Paul Wolfowitz. No one, in particular black folks didn’t say a word against my evaluative pragmatism then.

Obama is the president and as president it is our job to be critical and free thinking about his office, policy and problem solving capacity – especially with respect to his words and what he said he will do. The only difference outside of his color for me is that his mantra is not “compassionate conservatism” but rather “change.” Show me some change, or better yet, where is the beef. For we will continue to have these problems until we clean house. These same old Washington folks done messed things up enough, don’t you agree? I feel that we can find just as competent folk, if not more competent folks outside the beltway. I’m just glad medicine isn’t like that, or else one would only be able to have an expert physician or Surgeon in Washington, DC.

44 comments:

The Socialite said...

Havent talked to you in a few days folk! How are you?

msladyDeborah said...

What knocks me out about this situation is the reality of what is going to happen to Madoff. (You gotta love this surname-it really is a goodie) He damn sure won't be going to a super max for his crime. Which pisses me off because if he had to go serve some hardcore time it might send the proper message to others.

Anyone who thinks that Barack is not open to be critized or called out-really miss the point. I have been watching his moves. In due time and in due season-it will be on. If we don't get in his butt-then we are not doing our part in the role of "We the people".

Don't you think that we have to become better educated about money matters? Which is not going to be a easy task. I have seen "experts" who declare WS has become so complex that it is difficult to understand how the institution does business. That indicates to me that we are going to have to get the talented tenth (whomever that is) and get busy.

But there is also a lot to be said about handing over phenonmenol sums of money and not keeping an watch over what is being done with it. The people who trusted him need to admit that they helped enable him to steal their loot.

Anonymous said...

Most people don't believe that you can find the willingness, experience, expertise or talent (or any combination thereof) outside of the beltway. Seems to me that the beltway is a crime syndicate all to itself. And attracts the like.

As for Obama and his cud chewing...well, hell, what more needs to be said.

Anonymous said...

Yo, RawDog - How about giving that comment love right back ...
Clips & Comment

A.u.n.t. Jackie said...

My Uncle a Ultilities Commissioner and former Top Lawyer for a huge National Bank schooled me on much on this. Stating the case in which it was determined that the types of investments that Madoff made his money off of, were basically pay to play, which is to say that only those with the assests and liquidity to get in the game could play and even then they were playing at their own risk.

These were unregulated investment games only to be played by the very wealthy and everyone knew the rules, high risk and unregulated could mean anything...Great gain or bottoms up. The issue however is banks playing with working folks money...that ain't right because that money IS supposed to be regulated.

Knowing that Madoff is former Chair of NASDQ makes him even more shady to me, having been engaged to a NASDQ broker...shady shady business all together. Folks who gamble with other peoples money.

Babz Rawls Ivy said...

It is easy to suggest that "those" folks are so far away from you and I that we can stand in judgement and feel like we are better...morally. However I think the notion of Washington insider or whatever your terminology is an easy way of distancing ones self from the real issues of governance and oversight.

How is Wall Street different from say the NFL..NBA..College Football & Basketball? And yet, no criticism from you in regards that? Oh I am not suggesting that Wall Street ouught not be held to task. I am however suggesting that America is full of instutions that are corrupt...not in and of themselves but simply because WE THE PEOPLE happily relinguish our trust without due diligence and mindfulness.

You make some very valid points..but you miss the mark on a great many details. But your raising the questions is of course brilliant albeit slanted and jaded.

I won't even go into the medical profession...Doctors and their strong arm tactics...whinning about organized labor and their readiness to get in bed with pharmacuetical companies. Gee talk about a racket...organized crime and corruption. Scientists and those in the medical profession have blood on their hands too. You are nieve and blind if you think and or believe they do not.

History is ripe with science run amuck...ie Tuskegee Experiment. So please, the medical profession...ie DOCTORS have a long history of testing & experimenting on immigrants and poor people without their knowledge...more times than not resulting in deaths...that never got into the papers or raised to public awareness.

Politics is not the only corrupt game in town...

rainywalker said...

Nothing has really changed in the last 600 years. The poor get ripped off and the rich fill their coffers. The we get thrown the bone. I have just did a comment in advance of one of the president's picks. When he is in office we all need to keep track of everyone inside the beltway and Wall Street. There are more of us than there are of them. We just need to wake some people up, or knock them upside the head. Scramble their brains into action.

MsKayotic said...

After reading Lovebabz response, I agree with what she is sayinig. The Financial District of America isn't the only corrupt institution in this nation. You're choosing to expose the political arena and staying away from the pro athletics which indirectly affect the nation but affects it all the same.

It's a damn shame people covet one another when it comes to making money. Yes, I say covet because I guarantee the SEC lady would have been all over someone who wasn't forking over a piece of the pie. Corruption doesn't just start anywhere...it starts at the top.

I still can't pass judgment on Barack Obama. I do understand how you feel about having someone who isn't Washington in office but we need someone who knows how to play the Washington game to try and advocate change as you say Obama is doing. You aren't gonna go put some rookie in the game and expect him to make the winning shot. You need a Jordan who can guarantee. Right now Obama is the only hope of making that happen. I know you don't want to drink the proverbial kool-aid and I agree to some extent but don't go throwing salt in the mound of sugar. Hahaha!

clnmike said...

This game has been going on for a while now for every one they bust their are more that find a way of stealing and hiding money.

The SEC is a joke.

Gabrielle Clark said...

Wow, first of all, I agree completely. It is our job to be critical of the people in positions of power, a job that we share with people in the fourth estate (i`m partial, i`m a journalism student) . I`m not surprised about the situation, but I`m afraid of what it inevitably means for the future of this country.

LOVE the blog. adding you to the blogroll. Hope you don`t mind..

enigma4ever said...

"Madd-off", yeah- and now he is in his Penthouse Prison???...yeah- it stinks..and we are supposed to believe that he did it ALL by himself ???really ? ....Not....
great post...and you are right...Obama has alot of house cleaning to do....and there are alot offices that need a total sweep.....

enigma4ever said...

"Madd-off", yeah- and now he is in his Penthouse Prison???...yeah- it stinks..and we are supposed to believe that he did it ALL by himself ???really ? ....Not....
great post...and you are right...Obama has alot of house cleaning to do....and there are alot offices that need a total sweep.....

enigma4ever said...

btw....sending folks your way today...check out todays post....thanks
;-)

Christopher said...

I can't get too upset over this one, T.

To be honest, I had never heard of a "Ponzi Scheme" before. Even now, I wouldn't be able to explain it.

Yeah, to be sure, I don't think anyone deserves to be ripped off but let's keep it real.

Madoff's victims are the uber-rich and the wealthy. I don't care if Steven Spielberg lost $50 million dollars or some Upper Eastside social x-ray lost $10 million.

Maybe I've become cold and heartless but as long as regular, average Americans are losing their homes, their jobs, their health insurance and homelessness is climbing, I say eat the rich.

Kellybelle said...

If Made-off had knocked an old lady in the head and stole $14 he'd be in jail. Why is this man walking around free-ish?

Christopher said...

Cuz, Kellybelle, the rich are treated very differently from you and me.

Shit, in Singapore you would get your ass tossed in jail if you spit gum on the sidewalk.

Sista GP said...

Hey, I thought this country was founded by free thinkers. What happened?

Thanks for your constant inspiration.

Jamal O said...

Yo, i sent you a mssg on twitter.
Saw the post about your store.
Datsumbullshit.

thanQ Hppy Nw Yr also, I can hook u up on a cover for 4. And trust thats
a hookup ;)

peace

J

Vee said...

you keep my enlightened that's for sure..to this, I was oblivious I'm gonna have to read up.

CraigJC said...

Great post. Lots of people are making an issue out of the fact that he was Jewish and he actually defrauded a bunch of them, but this goes deeper than ethnicity.

Kit (Keep It Trill) said...

"I am only saying that it is impossible for folks to police themselves."

Torrance, this is one of my favorite posts by you. It was fantastic from beginning to end, and I agree with every word of it.

I've been blogger-lite and Obama-lite until yesterday (check out my recent post when you get a chance), and am waiting to see what he'll actually do. So far he doesn't appear to be sweeping house as much as sweeping the dirt around in the house.

Nikki Wadley said...

I think it is funny how there supposed smart, rich folks are so easily duped. What is after they have been duped, they find all kinds of excuses to cover up their mistakes. Now, excuse me while I go think of some elaborate (well, not really) plan to dupe some more really smart, rich people since it is just that easy!

Anonymous said...

Hey happy new years to you.....I know I've been slackin on my posting but you know I still read your blog almost everyday. Hey I thought it was dang funny when they said Madoff mailed out some of his so called assets to relatives.....what the hec? This guy thinks he is oh so special.

B.Marie said...

ITS JUST SAD TO SEE HOW BIASED NOT JUST THE ECONOMY IS BUT JUSTICE WHO IS SUPPOSSED TO BE BLIND IS

eclectik said...

Had to come and get my fill

e.

Katrina said...

How are you doing! Its been a while, Im back from my trip and even though I miss my boyfriend and I am a little sad now, knowing that now I have time to read your blog makes me happy! :) Hope all is well!!!

Katrina said...

oh, and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

T.a.c.D said...

and have you heard the lastest about the man that has been appointed as secretary of the tresury owes BACK TAXES are you serious? and that Congress was trying to keep that fact quit because it wasn't that "big of a deal" i read that in the post this morning...incredible to me

All-Mi-T [Thought Crime] Rawdawgbuffalo said...

The Socialite
guess u been super busy how are things going

msladydeborah
so true i wish they gave me some loot wo conditions

nicki nicki tembo
obama the talking cow - lmao

Pelikan
link didnt open folk

Aunt Jackie
u were blessed to have such smart folks to listen to sister

Lovebabz
NFL is not responsible for putting us in this economic mess, besides very few ivy leaguers in nfl and the folks on wall street dont have a chance of playing pro football as they do being a politicians - not to mention the NFL aint get no bail out.

What u call jusgment is objective reality.

rainywalker
well said. they care more about their pockets than ours

Kayos
i never said they were the only corrupt folks, i said they cant police themselves

clnmike
The SEC is like 911 lol

Taj
thank u very much maam, do come back again

enigma4ever
yep his name said it all and thanks for the love sister

Christopher
like i said i agree, i dont care about them looosing thier loot, but more about the culture that let crooks run the finincial markets, thats all - no oversight

Kellybelle
cause they hypocrites



Sista GP
anytime cuz

Jamal O
good looking and thanks folk, ill b waiting on book cover

Veronica Wright
thanks siter - i try

Craigjc
u are so right and thanks folk

Kit (Keep It Trill)
will do and thanks folk

Nikki Wadley
i know that is right and thanks for the drive by do come back please

Daysha Writes
they treat him that way, anyone else would be under the jail, he like a bank robber really

Anjl Marie
yea hon, so sad and no change insight - did i say change?

eclectik
thanks folk appreciated

Princess Katrina
y thank u sweetie



T.C.
yep sad huh

Chanel said...

HA!! You are so right. Made-off. lol. This whole situation tickles me to no end. Its unbelievable how envasive and hawkish the gov't AND big business/financial instituion is but they can't seem to smell the bullsh in there own backyards.

SjP said...

Much obliged for stopping by to check on old SjP!

I heard today that this turd is likely to do no time at all because he'll get immunity for rolling on his partners in crime. Its a damn shame.

Anonymous said...

Ahhhhh...don't even get me started talking about "Made-Off"...lol. The guy is a common thief and in essence a murderer-folks have taken their lives because of his scandal! Wealthy people deserve not to be swindled either, however that's what happens when you make your life about money and then lose it.

While Madoff got off with squandering billions of dollars, many common folks are losing their homes and jobs and a lot of that has to do with the lack of policing just like you said man.

They need to take care of the common man first and politicians and regulators later because it's obvious who's suffering more from these poor financial management decisions.

Babz Rawls Ivy said...

Yes Dr. Stephens you are right...in a snarky way. However I was merely making the point that there is corruption everywhere...and it is ALL connected.

NFL/NBA Teams do not build their own arenas...they depend on gov't funds to help build...with hefty tax credits and incentives. The notion being if you have a team that wins it will generate revenue for businesses and taxes for that municipality that houses that team. Should that team decided to pick up and move itself somewhere else...ie Tennessee Titans, then that city is out of its investment and a another City takes on that commitment...with the hope that the team will deliver the revenue needed to make the decision to entertain them worthwhile.

It is all connected...the flow of money from wall street can be tracked to the halls of other institutions as we are seeing.

Surely ...you who being so excellent at linking seemingly unsimilliar entities could see how all this wall street/main street mess is connected.

(smile)

Tha BossMack TopSoil said...

Nice one folks

Tyhitia Green said...

This has been going on since government has been established, it's just that more people are awake now and eating less seeds. It's just time for the people to take the country back and WAKE UP!

Jackie E. said...

The whole Madoff situation is both crazy, sad and scary all at the same time. Crazy because I would've never dreamed that someone in his position would be so conniving and underhanded and shady. Unfortunately it probably happens more frequently than we know, just not publicized in such a major way. Sad because of all the people who lost most of if not all their money. Scary because if the guy who is an expert on scams and gullibility (I don't remember his name but I saw him in an interview on CNN) can be caught up in this situation and lose his money too, then it makes me feel all the more vulnerable.

KELSO'S NUTS said...

T:

I was a lot of years in off-shore fund management and while I've never managed a lot more than $40 MM, never mind $40 BN, I've lost count of how many prospectuses I've read and written.

The key to reading a prospectus is to pretend it's just an executive summary and read the front part only. The back part is boilerplate except for the wiring instructions. Most people get intimidated by the legalese and the size of the things that they don't bother reading the part written by the managing partner.

Now, I have an excellent American education. I went to prep school. I went to an excellent college (not Ivy League but first rate). I went to an excellent graduate school (a public university but still tops in finance). Despite a clean reputation and a good record, I could never have access to the kinds of vanilla investors that Madoff did because I didn't have the Ivy League seal and I didn't define myself by my Jewish piety the way he did. In fact, the biggest fund to be dragged down with Madoff had a few million with us but quit us when he caught my (also Jewish) partner on the street in a suit with his briefcase on Rosh Hashannah. We'd 2xd his money in 1 1-2 years.

It's not sour grapes. I did fine, but had I seen Madoff's prospectus the way the document looked online, I'd have assumed there was something wrong. His whole strategy was based on something I learned the 2nd week of Options And Derivatives class in grad school. How to create synthetic equity out of options and synthetic options out of equity. It's important to know. It's crucial to know. Maybe 1982 was the last year you could find big enough arbitrages with it to base a fund on.

If I had visited his office, I would have known he was a crook. Everybody has a zillion tax haven pass through entities if they are ERISA and Sarbanes-Oxley waived but whereever the decisions are made, for Madoff in NYC, even a small fund is overwhelmed by copies of trade confirms. Your closets are full to bursting with them. You're making paper airplanes out of them. They are everywhere and they all look the same more or less. [He was doing this way before scanning was common and he didn't have a scanner anyway].

I'd just ask him "buddy, where are the fuckin trade confirms? Do you have like the best cleaning crew in the whole world? Your office is pristine!" He'd say that "Ireland does our back-office." I'd say "yeah, mine, too. I manage a part of the money so I get 3x copies of my confirms faxed to me in London, where are yours?"

He wouldn't get a dime off of me. I wouldn't rat because that's not my job or my nature but I'd certainly have advised anyone to stay away from him.

People bag on Meriwether but I'll tell you about him. He only lost his own gains in LTCM. Just like the rest of them. All of those guys, JM, Leahy, Hawkins, Scholes, Hillebrand, etc., were totally clean. All they did was make one big bet in which they get super unlucky. Shit, everybody who could add, subtract, multiply and divide was on the wrong side of that trade in August 1998. I lost 50% in one I was actively managing and 85% in one I was passive GP.

And you have no gripe, btw, about black bloggers, readers and lurkers being uncritical of Obama. White bloggers are way worse. He set that hook in them way worse, way way worse. White people who bag on me and call me a ruling class patriarch and shit because I believe in fiscal conservatism (for Keynesian social emergency needs and a strong currency) and monetary neutrality and like Ron Paul, think Obama is like Frederick Douglass, Malcolm X and Dr King factorial!

KELSO'S NUTS said...

The weirdest shit going on his how Holder's and Townsend's signatures on Clinton's pardons of Marc Rich and Pincus Green are even an issue in the confirmation of the BEST appointee in the administration. The only one who can and will effect change immediately at the DoJ.

I'm familiar with the original case. It's nothing like Madoff's. They got indicted for corporate tax fraud and conspiracy. Their attorney made a convincing argument that they were targeted specfically by Ed Messe for various reasons.

They had offered to do decently long prison bids (~ 3 years in Lewisburg, I think), but Meese wanted them to go away for 20 years or so, so they ran. OK, so cut to 26 years later. Does anybody really care that Clinton pardoned two old men so they could spend the rest of their days with their grandkids? Legal orders on their boss's last day in office?

Please.

And there isn't one Senator who knows more about Chiquita, S.A. (Colombia) than I do. That's just more business of old men in the senate grinding axes. Holder was a partner in a law/lobbying firm. Chiquita was their client, he had some responsibility for minding their legal issues for part of their business.

He's getting pissed on for defending a company from charges of having used the very Paramilitaries who get all the REPUBLICAN money to break strikes.

I thought Republicans liked strike breakers and right wing death squads, yes? no? Because it's a Democratic nominee all of a sudden they like unions and the FARC, I guess. Well, at least they're flexible!

Urgh.

Anonymous said...

Really well said, Dawg. PointOn!All-Mi-T

rawdawgbuffalo said...

Chanel
thanks for the love folk and do come back

SjP
u know we folk

Marcus LANGFORD
i know thats right lol sory to upset u

Lovebabz
snarky - like the penguin lol

Tha BossMack TopSoil
thanks man, how is the biz

Demon Hunter
what will it take for them to wake up


Jackie E.
so true hon, uinfortunate that crooks can rob folks of billions but a bank robber would be under the jail


KELSO'S NUTS
BRAVO

esin
thanks folk

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