#10 our elected officials aren’t really in control or making decisions, they want to be re elected so they delegate responsibility for difficult choices to non elected officials (Paulson, Bernanke, et al)
#9 create the perception of stability at any cost immediately prior to elections – how else could you maintain your extreme lifestyle without providing anything of value to our society?
#8 Promise whatever you feel like promising knowing that in a few months it will be someone else’s headache and the buddies you helped to make a fortune by putting on a band aid will certainly reward you with a cushy private sector position as a consultant or advisor
#7 if you want to keep up with The Joneses we will encourage you to lie about your income and assets so you can get in over your head financially, and then we will look for ways to relieve you of your responsibilities
#6 Why think for yourself or learn to be fiscally responsible at home, your leaders certainly don’t
#5 Creative accounting (aka lying, cheating and stealing) is acceptable behavior and if you do enough of it, thereby screwing lots of people in the process we will support your receiving a bonus as you are removed from your post.
#4 you don’t need to consider the consequences of your actions, encouraging and supporting a housing and credit bubble was great when everyone thought they were better off and now we had no way to know it was going to happen (Why have my clients known it since 2004?)
#3 if you want someone to take care of you, and you feel entitled to public assistance, scream loud enough and someone will throw money at you just to make you go away
#2 No need to worry about tomorrow, our kids are smart let them figure it out (oh wait we have dropped educationally in almost each of the last 40 years when compared to other countries) maybe my priorities are faulty but if we spent less than $80 Billion on education last year and we just threw $85 Billion at AIG, what message are our actions clearly sending?
And the #1 lesson being taught by our government . . .
if you are completely irresponsible on a big enough scale we will not only look the other way, we will step in and spend tax payer dollars to bail you out! (See AIG, Fannie/Freddie/Bear Stearns, etc)
