why isn't Obama out in front of this?

But we're going to assert our authority to vaporize Americans on American soil because we think they're maybe terrorists.

Oh, and let's keep on busting people for smoking and growing pot.

Bullshit You Can Believe In.

This policy is from the top. We have this lack of prosecution b/c our President doesn't want his donors prosecuted. We have to find a way to publicly finance elections. It's the only way politicians will be free to do what's right.

Our system is so corrupt that "Of the People and For the People" is just a joke.

Publicly financed elections is the best solution. Levels the playing field and puts the focus on the will of the people.

I thought Holder just ducked a hypothetical question.

I can think of several scenarios where that might be legitimate, and the President would be remiss in his duties if he DIDN'T "vaporize" the said American.

Bake

that limit what they can do and how they can do it

We are supposed to be all for 'free enterprise'. Letting some of these companies become monopolistic and unregulated is a sorry legacy to leave behind to future citizens.

The people with the ability to change won't and the people with the desire to change can't.

Relentless pressure is a marvelous thing.

I'm just feeling dark

He's just looking out for his future.

Riiiight.

now he regrets that it happened? Lying m*fer, he got exactly what he and his bosses financiers wanted - more consolidation and putting the ultra rich bankers and wall st. tycoons beyond the law. Disgusting, totally disgusting.

so what does it matter how big the bank is?

all over again.

Thanks Mr. Weak.

...fabric...

As much as I'd like to see the fuckers swing from the gantry, if we let the bastards actually fail, it would be like removing all of the mortar in a brick building...It would fatally destabilize the entire, worldwide economy...We need to reinstitute Glass-Steagall, fine the ever-loving shit out of them, and ban them from inventing brand new securities with which they can bamboozle and defraud the public...

Banks should stick to loaning people money, and brokerages should sell stocks, bonds and mutual funds. You know, they way they USED to...

I assume you mean derivatives. Just cancel them all on the government level and nationalize these banks. That would hurt the least amount of people. There worth 15 times world gross domestic product. Pretending they will go away on there own pretty much guarantees the next crash that will be bigger than the last. And yes reinstall Glass-Steagall. I can only wish.
-Airplane

there MUST be a way . . .

Time to get rid of him

they cannot be citizens. I don't think it is true, but I'm pretty sure our AG doesn't have the will to charge them.

"because their loss of size and scale would then damage their competitiveness internationally."

I guarantee it.

We cannot afford a Too-Big-Too-Fail Gap.

The older I get, the more socialism seems like the only fair way.

We end up with 10-15 regional banks and enforce competition among them.

I think Holder suffers from stupidity. This is a no-brainer. Congress needs to order a de-construction of the mega-banks and thereby the mega-egos of their presidents in favor of the American people. We know, of course that no Republic nor Democrat will agree to this because they have been bribed or screwed by the bankers.

He also said beware of the military industrial complex.
-Airplane

I appreciate him more and more.

since they can do no wrong.

A new law:
The CEO of a bank is as a person legally responsible for any crimes that were perpetrated by employees the bank in their capacity as employees of the bank while he held this position.
a) The liability only counts for crimes in which cumulated damages exceed $1million.
b) The law goes into effect one year late, to give banks the time to restructure and prepare for these situations.
c) Mandatory minimum jail-sentence of 5 years.

Parking-ticket? No problem.
Your underlings steal a little bit of money? Their problem.
Your underlings steal a lot of money? Your problem.

The CEO will do everything to avoid going to jail.
And even if he goes to jail, the bank will remain intact.

the notion that prosecution, which is intended to deter and remedy criminal activity, should somehow damage the world economy WORSE THAN the original criminal activity is preposterous.

the part about them having too much *influence* is more on point. but it's their influence over politicians and government, not their influence over the economy that's the problem.

... every corrupt corporate scumbag off the hook, doesn't he?

Oh well, on a positive note, he's keeping us safe from those hardcore medicinal marijuana smoking grannies. Another huge Obama success story.

the banks will survive but you can't leave the criminals there with no prosecution

Anyone with more computing power than I care to weigh in on that assessment?

If you are an accomplice to a crime or can also be held responsible. Dunno if it applies to that level of political office. I'm sure there is nothing to prevent Holder from being an accomplice nor is there anything that can be used to punish him for it. I would say the law, but have no idea which one.

We need some legal beagles in here to help out.

And not from the Obama admin - or, from within.
Greedy hands of wall street goons are greasy and far reaching.

go.

If New York state Attorney General Thomas E. Dewey, whom Dutch Schultz, the infamous gangster, wanted to assassinate, had said the mafia was too big to charge, the people of the state of New York would have voted him out and he would never have been either governor of New York or that fellow who defeated President Truman in the election of 1948, at least according to the Chicago Tribune.

If Holder wants to wave a white flag and declare the war lost against today's New York mob and figures such as Diamond Jamie and Pretty Boy Lloyd, then he's as worthless as anybody Mitt the Twit would have appointed to head the Justice Department and needs to be replaced with an Attorney General who will nail the banksters to the wall (and, while he's at it, prosecute some of Mr. Bush's federal attorneys, especially the ones responsible for railroading Don Siegelman).

Is America still a nation under the rule of law? Apparently not at the moment. It hasn't been for some time. That is why I voted to President Obama twice and why he needs to replace this do-nothing Holder, the sooner the better.

Special Prosecutor Eliot Spitzer

Far as I know he's never even attempted to charge one of them.

If what he says is true, he is admitting that our democratic form of government is more or less gone, replaced by a sort of proto fascism where the government and corporations run everything.

If it isn't true he's a lying sack of shit and should be fired.

I'm sort of hoping for that.

Obviously.

the kind of banks we used to have prior to Reagan.

Because you sure as hell can charge government workers with malfeasance.

I agree with Holder. The banks wield too much power and can wantonly cause damage to the world economy.

I am interested to hear Senator Warren's take. Thank goodness we have her in the senate!

them, maybe she should be the Attorney General. I think you need an Attorney General that would go after them and not worry about what people claim on Wall Street. I'm pretty sure there is enough out there to have folks like Sheldon Adelson, the Koch clan and even Romney in jail by now. I would even use the proceeds from confiscating their possessions to pay down the Debt, because it probably was acquired through fraud. Romney should not have gotten immunity if he did for offshore accounts. It should have been repossessed and I would have threatened the countries that allowed them to get away with this through the State Department. That is what they do with smaller people. I donot buy the notion anyone is too big to fail ( or they are too Big) . The people running these Banks and corporations can be replaced. They may see themselves as victims and call it theft, but I see it as justice. They may call it communisn, marxism, facisim, socialism, whatever. I call it poetic justice. They abused the system and and now they have to pay restitution to the state. I consider the state the people of America. We are too big to fail. So they got it wrong. They are never bigger than the state.

They you can charge.

First - Let the big banks know that within 2 years, they will be split up into BABY-BELLS, just like the telephone companies.
Second - Start prosecuting the people in charge of the big banks, and send a message that those that have broken the law,
will be prosecuted.

If there are no prosecutions, you're telling these Big Bank A$$hole$, that they can pretty much do whatever they want, without fear of prosecution.

Sounds fair, doesn't it?

The lawlessness that's been brazenly on display over the last few years is the real deterrent to investment. Who wants to play in an openly rigged casino?

They don't bring charges because they're on the fucking payroll, or they WILL BE on the payroll once they exit the revolving door. Seriously-- who wants to make a bet that Holder himself ends up in a cushy, ridiculously highly paid spot in the financial industry within a few years of leaving the DoJ?

How about the negative impact of letting the damn criminals who stole billions get then fuck away with it. Holder is a damn coward.

Total Get Out Of Jail Free card, to use now and in the future. The DOJ is busy chasing whistleblowers and medical marijuana patients, and compiling hit lists of Americans for their Drone Program!!!
Hey, Banksters, the Fed's not comin', you savvy businessmen!!! So, carry on!!!

And, it ain't the regulators or government.

that there is no difference form these big banks and our government then you all are blind!

First of all the FED and JPM (JP Morgan) have manipulated to the best of their ability these current markets through QE - infinity. That's 85 billion a month in newly printed money. That money has propped up the stock market and depressed the metals market, all of it is manipulated. Manipulated in a sense that the government has to devalue the price of the dollar to manage our debt. This action kills the likes of JPM and company, so JPM does the work and does the governments deed, in return the government turns a blind eye to JPM's manipulation. The Government obtains their goal that has to be done through JPM and the FED and JPM gets to manipulate the markets in order to get paid. Saying "They are to big to prosecute" is a really a crazy way of saying "We are turning a blind eye to their actions as they could take us all down if they blew the whistle and informed the American people of what is really going on".

The banksters own the government now.

I've only watched network "news" sparingly over the last few days but I haven't seen any coverage of his comments during the prime-time news hour.

A woman was killed by a lion, Obama invited Republicans to dinner or lunch and it's snowing this winter, but I haven't seen any coverage of this.

Thanks for the thread, n2doc.

"Do we have a two-tiered justice system?"

"Are some people above the law?"
(speaking only in terms of the "banks" seems to deflect from the actual people responsible)