Fascinating Radio Interview -- Bernie Madoff Investigation -- Bush Admin responsible?

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Oct 30, 2004
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If you enjoy news talk radio, then you should listen to this compelling story about the private securities trader who investigated Bernie Madoff and tried to warn the SEC numerous times, but "No One Would Listen". The interview was conducted by Tom Ashbrook on his radio show On Point. (No One Would Listen is also the name of his recently published book and hence the impetus for the interview.)

I think he essentially said that Madoff had to turn himself in to keep from getting whacked by European organized crime. I think he also said that he feared for his life and knew that Madoff had connections to organized crime and thought he himself could get whacked. He had even contemplated killing Madoff himself before Madoff ordered a hit on him.

Oh, btw, he reveals that the SEC was completely incompetent and retarded. (A regulatory agency that does everything it can to keep from noticing criminal activity? Nah, couldn't be.) (I suspect that the real story is that someone inside the SEC or even higher up was in on the scheme.) He described the Madoff operation as a bright red wagon in the snow that should have really stood out to any regulator looking at it, especially after he pointed it out to the SEC numerous times.

You can find the 46 minute show here:

http://www.onpointradio.org/2010/03/markopolos-no-one-would-listen


Was the Bush Administration partially responsible?

Paul in Newton, Massachusetts: "I represent the SEC employees and the Board of the National Treasury Union. I spent a career working for the FDIC. I know that the real cause of this problem was the political guys at the top. It was Chris Cox who was an anti-regulation Congressmen. He came in, he took over the SEC and he handcuffed these guys. Now Harry may have talked to two or three, I don't know how many, maybe half-a-dozen. But I can tell you that there was a whole group of employees who wanted to do their jobs but they were handcuffed."
 
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Tab

Lifer
Sep 15, 2002
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not surprised bush was corrupt and we all know he should be in jail

mebbe him and madddofff could share a sell
 

Genx87

Lifer
Apr 8, 2002
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Obviously the SEC failed in its duty. But I have to laugh if we think Bush's administration was soft on these guys. The justice dept sent quite a few people to jail from Enron and other companies that were playing loose with the numbers and got caught back in 01-02. And Madoff got caught this round and will rot away in jail.
 

cubeless

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Sep 17, 2001
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...and it's obvious that the dems are so tough on the financial guys... sheesh...
 

Moonbeam

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Nov 24, 1999
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I don't want to hear any more bad news about Bush. A lot of my friends here voted for him and they're hanging their heads so low their hair is picking up dog shit. It's time for them to just admit to their colossal stupidity and move on. I don't like kicking a dog when it's down.
 

cubeless

Diamond Member
Sep 17, 2001
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I don't want to hear any more bad news about Bush. A lot of my friends here voted for him and they're hanging their heads so low their hair is picking up dog shit. It's time for them to just admit to their colossal stupidity and move on. I don't like kicking a dog when it's down.

don't know if i qualify for the forgiveness, but to say 'bush did this' is acting like he was directly involved... ok, i get it, he was president... he fucked up a bunch of things, check... but direct attribution of a specific issue requires a little more than this... i would offer that the bush haters just start saying 'the bush administration' and paint everyone associated... it would be more correct...

i am bookmarking this thread so we can replay it at the end of the bo regime, too...
 
Oct 30, 2004
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OK, OK. Enough talk about Bush then.

Did any of you listen to the interview? I found it very interesting, especially the part about how Markopolos (the front man in the private investigation) said he started fearing for his life once he realized that Madoff had connections with European organized crime and that he had contemplated killing Madoff himself (in the hopes of saving his own life).
 

Munky

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Feb 5, 2005
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But Boooooshhhh!!!
In other news, Greece wants reparations from Bush because he threatened to find WMD's in their backyard if they didn't accept a deal with Goldman Sachs.
 

Moonbeam

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Nov 24, 1999
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don't know if i qualify for the forgiveness, but to say 'bush did this' is acting like he was directly involved... ok, i get it, he was president... he fucked up a bunch of things, check... but direct attribution of a specific issue requires a little more than this... i would offer that the bush haters just start saying 'the bush administration' and paint everyone associated... it would be more correct...

i am bookmarking this thread so we can replay it at the end of the bo regime, too...

Please note that I didn't want to hear about it so I have no idea what the issue is so I have no idea of Bush is involved or not. All I know is that Bush fucked up so many things, as you say, that in my book he's a total fuck up.

And I don't know if you deserve forgiveness or not but I forgive you. I also forgive him. People are not stupid because they consciously want to be. They don't know they have unconscious motivations that make them unconsciously want to be stupid. It's not their fault. It was done to us all.
 

GuitarDaddy

Lifer
Nov 9, 2004
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I'm generally not a witch hunt kinda guy, but in this case I am disgusted that more heads haven't rolled. I think a few high profile regulators should be publicly bbq'd over this deal. The fact that Madoff and a couple of his cronies appear to be the only ones going down for this is beyond wrong.
 
Oct 30, 2004
11,442
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don't know if i qualify for the forgiveness, but to say 'bush did this' is acting like he was directly involved... ok, i get it, he was president... he fucked up a bunch of things, check... but direct attribution of a specific issue requires a little more than this... i would offer that the bush haters just start saying 'the bush administration' and paint everyone associated... it would be more correct...

Here is the connection to the Bush Administration:

Paul in Newton, Massachusetts: "I represent the SEC employees and the Board of the National Treasury Union. I spent a career working for the FDIC. I know that the real cause of this problem was the political guys at the top. It was Chris Cox who was an anti-regulation Congressmen. He came in, he took over the SEC and he handcuffed these guys. Now Harry may have talked to two or three, I don't know how many, maybe half-a-dozen. But I can tell you that there was a whole group of employees who wanted to do their jobs but they were handcuffed."

Bush APPOINTED Christopher Cox to be the Chairman of the SEC. Do you see the connection now? Bush appointed a guy who opposed government regulation and possibly as a direct or indirect result of that the SEC failed to take down the Madoff scam earlier than it did. Bush appointed a guy who's philosophy contradicted the mission of the SEC.
 
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