I'm sorry, so sorry

“I’m sorry, so sorry, that I was such a fool. I didn’t know love could be so cruel.”

“You tell me mistakes, are part of being young. But that doesn’t right the wrong that’s been done”; lyrics from a very popular song of the 1950’s sung by Brenda Lee.

“I’m sorry” said Robert Rubin, the ex Treasurer Secretary for President Clinton as he spoke on Capitol Hill appearing before the eager to place blame on anyone else but themselves, Congress. Mr. Rubin was called to testify as to the financial meltdown and what went wrong in particular with the Citigroup bandits. Mr. Rubin was the key architect for the Clinton administration in the deregulation of the banking industry.

Joining the “boo hoo”, ballads of Mr. Rubin were Chuck Prince former CEO of Citi, and the ever somber Alan Greenspan former chairman of the Federal Reserve Board.

All three men are part representatives of a culture where accountability and responsibility are forgotten values. It seems when mistakes are made they are made by someone else. One can say “I’m sorry”, but the sorry is always for other people’s flaws and floundering, never for one’s own unfortunate behavior.

These brilliant men, so we are told, who made millions and millions of dollars, these best in class financiers, bankers, accountants who demand the highest of salaries, these people who sit upon a pedestal deciding the financial fates of the average American, seem to always say “I’m sorry” after the fact or whenever they seem to caught and tried to be held accountable.

Do you wonder how much each man made during the financial heyday of the markets? And do you wonder if all these men who say, they, like us were taken by surprise by the exceptional negative turn of events really lost anything at all? None of them seem to losing their homes to delinquent mortgage payments, they seem to be able to easily pay their bills and not have to prioritize between rent, food or medical coverage.

Most Americans living on Main Street are waiting for the repo man, and it seems these guys are driving the repo truck as they glide down Wall Street.

Not be outdone, and just so the Congress, (where were they when deregulation was the queen of the prom), can look like they care about the middle class American, the ex-head honcho’s of Fannie Mae raised their right hands up swearing to tell the truth, and said I’m sorry”…because we did what we did due to competitive pressures and a political goal of increasing home ownership.” I’m sorry both Mr. Robert Levin former Executive Vice President and Chief Business Officer Fannie Mae, and Daniel Mudd, former President and Chief Executive Officer Fannie Mae quietly spoke pointing fingers to the Congress, almost mockingly stating I’m sorry because you me made me do it.

Both men say the stress and strains of that the Congress placed upon them overrode any and all unconscionable or cohesive business plan. Both men said "I'm sorry" cause I only did what you the Congress told me to do.

Both men still have all their retirement dollars, still live in a mighty fancy home and seem to travel the world without care of cost.

"I'm sorry", the financial wizards seem to mutter. I'm sorry you the American citizen were greedy, I'm sorry we created some weird financial product with no credence or credit, and that you bought it. I'm sorry as bright as I have touted myself to be, and as smart as those who hire me for millions of dollars and a bonus package beyond the stars that you followed my every move hoping I could make you as much money as I did.

When does I'm sorry begin to mean a sense of loss, a sense of wrong doing a sense of error?

And why, in the bright days of the 2010's do the crooks who lied, stole, cheated and led most of us down some ill conceived track, just get away with "I'm sorry" and drive home in their limo's or fly away in their personal Cessna's?

"I'm sorry, so sorry---really?