Wall Street vs Main Street: The Great Divide Widens

1. used car salesmen
2. lawyers
3. bankers/brokers
4. dog catchers
5. burglars
6. politicians

Plenty could argue that dog catchers would command the most respect, with burglars a distant second. How so? At least you know exactly what their intentions are, admirable or not, and manage accordingly.

With all due respect to quality individuals in the other professions, those industries as a whole have always suffered from a very poor public perception.

Moving to the fully serious part of my writing this morning, I would venture to say that the chasm which has always existed between Wall Street and Main Street has never been wider and is widening by the day. How so?

I am being inundated regularly with comments and questions as to whether the market is truly representative of the fundamentals in the underlying economy. Others have asked me how an industry that is supposedly once again making sizable profits can shamelessly impose credit card rates of upwards of 30%!!

It is my sense that the American consumer and investor feels woefully neglected at this point in our country’s history. As such, I have little doubt that many people have exited the markets with the intention of NEVER returning.

I would not pretend that I can appreciate the level of anxiety and disgust of everybody in our country today, but I share your contempt for a crowd both in Washington and on Wall Street that has done little to nothing to protect your interests.

This contempt welled up this morning as I read The Wall Street Journal’s, Geithner Vents at Regulators as Overhaul Stumbles:

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner blasted top U.S. financial regulators in an expletive-laced critique last Friday as frustration grows over the Obama administration’s faltering plan to overhaul U.S. financial regulation, according to people familiar with the meeting.

The proposed regulatory revamp is one of President Barack Obama’s top domestic priorities. But since it was unveiled in June, the plan has been criticized by the financial-services industry, as well as by financial regulators wary of encroachment on their turf.

While I could wax poetic on the topic of regulatory reform, I will abbreviate my remarks with a very succinct and direct statement. I strongly believe “THESE PEOPLE DON”T GET IT!”

The fact remains, “Future Financial Regulation: Not a Question of Sufficiency, but of Transparency and Integrity.”

Does the American public understand how thay have been abused by both their political and banking representatives? I strongly believe they are gaining a greater awareness of this phenomena every day.

In coming full circle, my respect rankings from top to bottom would be:

1. dog catcher
2. burglars (at least you know their intentions)
3. used car salesmen
4. lawyers
tie for 6th between politicians and bankers/brokers

How about yoWall Street vs Main Street: The Great Divide Widensu? Please share your thoughts and rankings!!