Guillotine or Firing Squad?

The “Madoff Disease” is a mental condition that can affect smart, affluent, and the highly successful as much, if not more, than the dumb, poor, and struggling among us. Although faced with overwhelming logic to the contrary, an investment-flu-of-sorts, stuns people into becoming non-questioning believers despite warning flags galore. The flu is spread by carriers as mosquitoes spread the plague. The “Madoff Disease” is often not recognized by the infected as trinkets are used to distract an otherwise intelligent and observant person until the infection becomes full-blown. The need to belong to exclusive social groups results in greater infection among the inter-connected as confirmation bias takes precedence over common sense.

While the afore-written “Madoff Disease” appears directed at the investment community, it is actually directed toward the political component of our communities, state, and nation. The reason why Americans have not demanded a fiduciary duty from Congress commensurate with that which Congress demands through laws, rules, and regulation from rank-and-file investment advisors is that too many Americans want a chance at a piece of the patronage pie themselves, do not take the time to become informed independently, and/or vote based upon the sound bite or comedian’s joke.

The nation has changed, and apparently the only two groups that haven’t figured this out yet are the Democrats and Republicans. Their pitchmen are selling the same worn out pair of shoes while tapping to the same-old-song. Instead of throwing good money after a bad set of bookends, it’s time to jettison the duopoly for a trilogy. While we need the Ds and Rs, they comprise a two leg stool, which cannot stand without a third. The Florida Whig Party stands ready to be the critical third leg of the stool that represents We the People rather than the national and multi-national corporations, urban community action groups, unions, lobbyists, and special interests who spend billions on the wine and dining in order to get deeper into our pocketbooks, throw trillions to their family and friends, and control the rank-and-file with an ever increasingly complex and heavy yoke of debt and loss of freedom.

For those who are afraid that a third party will keep one party in office over another we have this to say: Monsieur Smith, would you prefer the guillotine or firing squad this year?

Think About It