Dear Commons Community,

Tom Friedman has a pretty insightful column today (see URL below) regarding our financial and political elites.  Essentially he expresses his dismay at how the leaders of our financial companies and our political institutions have acted strictly in terms of their self interests even during our economic downturn and its “fragile” recovery.   He is absolutely correct in what he says that they are all about “situational” values that are the motivations to gain from present circumstances.      It is unfortunate that leaders of some of our financial companies have been exposed as putting themselves, their profits and bonuses ahead of everything else during this economic crisis.  They have reinforced  the stereotype of large international companies as maximizing profit-driven organizations that have little regard for the common good.   As for the political elites, they have been behaving for years as putting party and the need to win the next election ahead of the needs of the country.  The loyalties of the Republicans and Democrats are first and foremost to their Party interests and financial backers and not to the United States of America and its people.

Tony

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/27/opinion/27friedman.html?th&emc=th