May 24, 2011
I’m writing because my family and I were affected by the economic collapse of 2008, and we don’t want it to happen again. I was widowed in September of 2008 and my late husband's 401k lost value immediately afterward. It was devastating enough to lose my husband at age 56. To have the financial cushion he left for me to be taken care of for many years to come take a big loss has made the situation even more difficult.
One way to change the incentives so Wall Street doesn’t collapse our economy again would be for regulators to set up a way for shareholders to grab back ill-gotten gains. No one is worth the millions of dollars these people pay themselves. And if our financial system is so complex that only a very few people understand it, it needs to be simplified so the world economy can no longer be manipulated by these few. Personally, I do not believe that there is only the few. There are a great many qualified men and women who could step in and clean things up. I think everyone involved should have been replaced - White House advisors, CEO's, managers, etc. Everyone who had a hand in all this needs to be investigated and charged with any crimes that can be proven. The duplicity and greed that went on and still goes on is criminal. These people should certainly not continue to be rewarded for their bad behavior.
If it turns out that the profits in a given year were built on shoddy practices that become clear in the out-years, those bonus payments should be forfeited.
Thank you for considering my comment,
Margaret Vieira