Dear Ted Rall,

So I hate to side with the greedy capitalist pigs on this one, but the reasoning behind your idea that we save people and not bankers is flawed. On the one hand you chastise greedy banks for bad lending practices, as they deserve, yet you fail to see that it takes two to tango. Bad loans couldn’t have been made if greedy suckers weren’t lining up by the millions to spend more than they could afford. The blame for this crisis rests mainly on those who changed the rules in the first place, but to imply that after the rule change the homeowners were just innocent bystanders, being forced by pain of death to buy loans they couldn’t afford, is ridiculous. Sure, some homeowners who made smart choices got caught in the shit-storm, and that is unfortunate, but the blame rests equally on the corporations making bad loans and on the people who were buying them.

  I think perhaps a better solution to subsidizing people who make poor economic choices, or corporations that sell bad loans, is to institute a nation-wide education program in high-schools called Capitalism 101. The main lesson in Capitalism 101 is that everyone else is just trying to take your money by any means possible. I wish it weren’t so, but a great deal of Americans think we are better off in an individualistic, dog-eat-dog, free-market, capitalist world, and we need to teach people the dangers of this world. In the capitalists world, people are always trying to take your money, take advantage of you, rip you off, convince you to buy shit that you don’t need or can’t afford, and the government will sometimes drop the ball on protecting you from these people, so wise up!

Jonathan Thompson

Hi, Ted:

  I am the new director of the School of Journalism and Mass Communications here at USC. I’ve just been in town a few weeks and had the joy of reading the CityPaper while eating a California wrap at the Salty Nut. 

  With all the doomsday drivel coming from those lamenting the demise of the newspaper, I’ve got to say, I found your column not only well written (and nicely researched), but truly innovative. I love that out-of-the-box thinking. 

  Thanks for having a part in my terrific early impressions of Columbia!

Carol J. Pardun

Director and Professor

School of Journalism and Mass Communications, University of South Carolina

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Mr. Molasses   |2008-10-09 20:15:09 As a graduate of USC's journalism school, I find it embarrasing that the school's new director, Carol J. Pardun, couldn't figure out that Ted Rall is a sindicated columnist and not a local writer. Pay attention, Carol. Rall has no idea what the Salty Nut is ... Reply | Quote 0   0

Dan Florence   |2008-10-13 01:03:49 Perhaps Carol is aware of such quality alternative weekly features you just didn't expect to see in Columbia until a few years ago. I think it is great she has an appreciation for interesting articles and seeks out the alternative to the mainstream press in Columbia. Reply | Quote 0   0

Mr. Molasses   |2008-10-09 20:17:13 Yes, I know I misspelled "syndicated" in my previous post. OK. I admit it. I graduated from Clemson's J-school. I worked at The Tiger and now can't find a job. Sue me. Reply | Quote 0   0

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