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Paul B. Farrell Archives | Email alerts
Oct. 18, 2011, 12:01 a.m. EDT
By Paul B. Farrell, MarketWatch
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (MarketWatch) "” Worst-case scenario's closing fast: Occupy Wall Street growing. But no political power or allies yet. Feared yes, attacked by GOP proxy tea party. Soon the Occupation will explode into a new American Revolution.
When? A string of European bank collapses is dead ahead. And like the Arab Spring, they will trigger an economic disaster for American banks.
Andrew Milligan, head of Global Strategy at Standard Life Investments, discusses the implications for banks as European officials try to hammer out a solution to the sovereign debt crisis.
Yes, coming soon says Martin Weiss in his "7 Major Advance Warnings," which is "bound to have a life-changing impact on nearly all investors in the U.S. and around the globe." His new Weiss Ratings warnings are the "most important" in a 40-year career. The stress on Wall Street banks will force them back to Congress for more bailouts.
Warning eight: No new bailouts. That will push the economy into a deep recession.
Then what? New Glass-Steagall? Not enough. Tax the rich? Not enough. Perp walks? Not enough. Presidential commission? Useless promises. Occupy Wall Street will fail without a fundamental constitutional change. No compromise. Or Wall Street wins, again. We go back to the same free market, deregulated, too-greedy to-fail, conservative Reaganomics policies that have been destroying democracy for a generation.
All this was so obvious, so predictable. America is at a crossroads. Occupy Wall Street buildup has emerged as America's last great hope to restore democracy. Last week when USA Today called the Occupiers a "ragtag assortment of college kids, labor unionists, conspiracy theorists and others" hinting they're a flash-in-the-pan "devoid of remedies," I smiled, reminded of that famous painting of George Washington crossing the Delaware on Christmas 1776, leading what historians also called a "ragtag" Continental Army, surprising the British, and winning the Battle of Trenton.
Yes, USA Today sees a "ragtag" army: No mission, no goals, no organization, no agenda, no leaders, and no staying power. Wrong. Look deeper: The Occupiers are the voice of America's collective conscience demanding a return to our 1776 roots, to a "government of the people, by the people, for the people."
Our collective inner voice knows America's moral compass is broken. We've become a government "of, by and for" special interests, the wealthiest 1%, Wall Street insiders, CEOs and Forbes-400 billionaires. It happened fast: In one generation the Super Rich grabbed "absolute power," killing the middle class American dream.
Wall Street banks are already dismissing the Occupiers "¦ planning bigger bonuses this year"¦ lifting limits on their license to gamble Main Street deposits in the $600 trillion global derivatives casino "¦ they already spend hundreds of millions lobbying every year "¦ they're convinced they can defeat the Occupiers with campaign donations in the back rooms of Congress "¦ writing off the fight as another business expense "¦ ultimately expecting the Occupiers will vanish into the cold winter months.
Warning: Don't be fooled. Occupy Wall Street knows exactly want it wants. The tea party, GOP's proxy, isn't fooled. They feel threatened, counter-attacking, worried their role will be lost in the 2012 elections, fearful they'll lose sway over Republicans, so they've got a smear campaign against Occupy Wall Street. Won't work:
Amid all the noise surrounding Occupy Wall Street we hear their "one simple demand." Missed by most outsiders, that demand echoes down through American history, first heard in 1776 in the Declaration of Independence. Earlier the Occupiers voiced their one simple demand:
"We demand that integrity be restored to our elections. One citizen. One dollar. One vote. Only citizens should make campaign contributions. Campaign contributions by citizens should not exceed $1 to any political candidate or party. Help us reclaim democracy."
Yes, one simple demand: "Stop the monied corruption at the heart of our democracy." That one simple demand echoed over and over. And no compromise when dealing with so fundamental a principle of democracy. Compromises the last generation surrendered America to Wall Street and the Super Rich. Compromise this principle again, and we all lose, destroy America. No compromise. Period.
The Occupiers Revolution enters a new phase soon: First Arab Spring rippled into American Fall. Next, EU bank collapses will ripple through Wall Street. For a long time we've been warning the 2008 meltdown never ran its course, foiled by mega-bailouts "¦ bankers never shared the sacrifice "¦ fought all reforms "¦ are back to business-as-usual "¦ learned no lessons "¦ now even more delusional, expecting bigger bonuses "¦ trapped in denial for three years "¦ cannot see what's ahead "¦ a perfect setup for a bigger crash.
That's why my eye locked on Martin Weiss' "7 Major Advance Warnings." Weiss has been a champion of the little guy for 40 years, author of "The Ultimate Money Guide for Bubbles, Busts, Recession and Depression." Weiss Ratings of domestic and foreign debt markets downgraded U.S. debt before the S&P.
Both of us were warning well in advance of the 2008 crash. It was so predictable: Weiss warned of "failure of Bear Stearns Lehman, Washington Mutual, near-failure of Citigroup and the demise of Fannie Mae years before it collapsed."
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Paul Farrell writes the column on behavioral economics. He's the author of nine books on personal finance, economics and psychology, including "The... Expand
Paul Farrell writes the column on behavioral economics. He's the author of nine books on personal finance, economics and psychology, including "The Millionaire Code," "The Winning Portfolio," "The Lazy Person's Guide to Investing." Farrell was an investment banker with Morgan Stanley; executive vice president of the Financial News Network; executive vice president of Mercury Entertainment Corp; and associate editor of the Los Angeles Herald Examiner. He has a Juris Doctor and a Doctorate in Psychology. Collapse
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