Patrioitism and the Business Community

While the patriot party has had little difficulty in accusing the Obama administration of Socialism and disregard for the public interest it has been silent on the responsibilities of the business community for the economic recession which engulfs the country. There have been plenty of opportunities to remind Wall Street and the Banking community of its national responsibilities.

In a news conference in 1962 John Kennedy had no reservations about invoking patriotism to chastise decisions made in the private business community. In May 1962 he began a famous news conference with the following observations:

      "In this hour in our nation's history, when we are confronted with grave crises in Berlin and Southeast Asia, when we are devoting our energies to economic recovery and stability, when we are asking Reservists to leave their homes and families for months on end, and servicemen to risk their lives--and four were killed in the last two days in Viet Nam...the Americn poeple will find it hard, as I do, to accept a situation in which a tiny handful of steel executives whose pursuit of private power and profit exceeds their sense of public responsibility can show such utter contemp for the interests of 185 million Americans."

There have been numerous opportunities for bolth the Bush Administration as well as Obama's to remind the hedge fund managers, banks and insurance companies of their responsibilities as patriots for the well being of their fellow citizens.

While the Bush-Chaney administration might be forgiven for giving the corporate executives a pass on practices which have crippled the economy there is much less excuse for Obama. His silence on the  relationship of business profit taking, bonuses and outright dishonesty to the larger national interest in a time of two wars is unfathomable. Who, one might ask, has done greater damage to the country? Obama's rather succesful attempt to rescue the automotive industry (GM seems to be doing quite well, thank you) or those who practice predatory lending, derivative minipulaltions and reception of obscene bonuses for failure?

The answser seems fairly clear. A "socialist" bails out wall street and banks and is condemned by the patiot party and the very receipients of his policy's largess. Neither Kenndy nor Truman and FDR before them would have been so generous to the real culprits of America's ecominic woes.