Autres temps, autres moeurs

Quoiqu'idéaliser le début du 20ème siècle sur la base d'une citation est sans doute illusoire... Teddy Roosevelt (pas Franklin):

Morgan argued strongly that his industrial trusts were essential to American prosperity and competitiveness. The banker wanted a deal. "If we have done anything wrong, send your man to my man and they can fix it up," he offered. But the president was blunt: "That can't be done." And Knox succinctly summarized Roosevelt's philosophy. "We don't want to fix it up," he told Morgan, "we want to stop it."

...

The headline quote from President Obama sounded tough: "My administration is the only thing between you and the pitchforks," he told the meeting. But the reality was as mild as it could be: All 13 bankers, no matter how discredited, kept their jobs, their salaries, their bonuses, their pensions, their staff and, most remarkable given the near-complete breakdown of governance, even their boards of directors. Our leading bankers were saved by the generosity and magnanimity of our president.

De Simon Johnson et James Kwak dans le wapo sur la réforme de la régulation financière. La manière dont les pages du Washington Post ont accueilli à bras ouvert Simon Johnson dès qu'il a commencé à faire entendre sa petite musique sur l'oligarchie est troublante mais c'est une side story. Whatever.