IGMFY

"Those of us who have looked to the self-interest of lending institutions to protect shareholders' equity, myself included, are in a state of shocked disbelief."
- Alan Greenspan

Yes, thank you, Alan.
Who knew that greed was a greater proportion of self-interest" than protecting shareholders' equity?
Geesh. Who could see that coming?

It only took a few thousand years, but now we have a window into the soul of man.
Self-interest versus the good of the many.
Short-term versus long-term decision making.
Now I get it.

They say that Errol Flyn had a boat named IGMFY.... "I got mine, ____ you."
I think that may be tattooed on the hearts (if not the biceps) of a lot of people.

And we can blame the mighty CEOs and bureaucrats in government....
but just a few weeks ago, when Nashville had a gas shortage that became a gas OUTAGE, we had hourly proof of the IGMFY philosophy as people topped off their tanks and bought extra containers of gas to ensure they had what THEY needed.

So, it would be nice to believe that those in power are somehow imbued with a deeper sense of responsibility to community, a deeper commitment to the greater good...and I think some of them are. Call me cynical....but how many of us ever really evolve past that 3 year old who figure out he can take a cookie when no one is looking. Maybe some of the time. Maybe much of the time we are able to leave our self-centered bubble and let our morality (versus our greed and hungers) guide us....but it's there, in the background...maybe in our DNA....IGMFY.

Then you see people who've mastered it...they race INTO burning buildings to save a stranger. They sacrifice everything for others. So we know it's possible. Do they not have the gene, or do they keep it tightly held, clenched in the back of their brain? Maybe they have IGMFY antibodies and we could innoculate the government....hmmmmmm.......