Did He Just Say That?

Or is it just me?



I'm NOT sympathetic to the gloom and doomers from the left or the right. They may be right; everything can end tomorrow. But many predictions have been made and life goes on however imperfectly. Yes, we are burdened by taxes, government incompetence and bureaucracy; but the market oriented system -- as regulated, distorted and trammeled as it is -- produces, gives and keeps America (and much of the rest of the civilized world) afloat.

I do keep an open mind to the gloom and doomers. Again maybe they are right; so I listen. Sites like lewrockwell.com have been plugging one Gerald Celente, a gloom and doomer of the highest order. He's also been discussed in the New York Times and featured by Fox News.

And let me note, I AGREE with Celente in principle that these big companies who have been termed "too big to fail" should NOT have been bailed out, but left to go bankrupt.

But this Celente guy illustrates, as far as I can tell by the first few lines of what he said in the YouTube clip to which I linked, the lamentable dynamic of goom and doom -> conspiracy theory -> anti-Semitism.

Or is the term he used to describe Goldman Sachs fair in civilized discourse? And note, I don't believe that stereotyping Italian last names as Mafiosos is perfectly okay (though I admit I love the Sopranos and Goodfellas). But one BIG difference between the Italian last name and Jewish last name stereotype that Celente raises is that there was not in recent history a holocaust of ethnic Italians.

Update: Maybe He Didn't Say It:

My co-blogger Jim Babka and another commenter say they think Celente said "White Shoe Boys." If that's the case I retract and issue a full apology to him.

Further Update: He didn't Say It:

Okay I was wrong; he didn't say it and I remove the "if" qualification. I retract and apologize to Mr. Celente. I doubt he knows about this post though. If he reads it, he'll see the retraction and apology.