ROGER SIMON SURPRISES ME

He writes for Politico and is upset at the MOTU.

The wolves of Wall Street
By ROGER SIMON 3/24/09 4:26 AM EDT

The real toxic assets on Wall Street are the people who run Wall Street.

Their boundless recklessness and their grotesque desire to be enriched for that recklessness are what have brought this country to its current sorry state.

The wolves of Wall Street are not afraid of what Congress is planning. The wolves are in the driver’s seat. They are raking it in. That is because the wolves have always operated on the honor system.

We’ve got the honor, and they’ve got the system.

If you think Simon is exaggerating, check out this article (h/t Josh Marshall):

Obama Dials Down Wall Street Criticism
By MONICA LANGLEY
MARCH 24, 2009, 6:03 A.M. ET
Wall Street Journal

Bankers were shell-shocked, especially when Congress moved to heavily tax bonuses. When administration officials began calling them to talk about the next phase of the bailout, the bankers turned the tables. They used the calls to lobby against the antibonus legislation, Wall Street executives say. Several big firms called Treasury and White House officials to urge a more reasonable approach, both sides say. The banks' message: If you want our help to get credit flowing again to consumers and businesses, stop the rush to penalize our bonuses.

BONUSES BEFORE COUNTRY!!!