. . .
K “We in America closed the traditional factories but openly operate a network of profitable Fraud Factories.”
J “Look at the flow of raw material. The kids who get As in college go to med school, those who get Bs go to law school and those who get Cs go to biz school. And look who makes the big bucks.”
K “Those pursuing a journalism degree pursue truth and those pursuing a Master of Fine Arts pursue beauty. At least in theory. And Yeats proffered the exchange rate.”
J “Those in the Corps embody an esprit de corps, the Semper Fi and Siempre Fi spirit. And former Marines are among the most disciplined and honest journalists. Think Jim Lehrer.”
K “And Gordon Peterson. Interning at Parris Island rather than grunting at The Paris Review provides a different worldview.”
J “Right. Fighter pilots reflect that same dedication, discipline and devotion to duty. First responders, as they now call them, and most doctors share a sense of professionalism and commitment. Those with the forest service and the fish and game service are genuinely concerned about the future well-being of the evergreens and the blue gills and the white tails.”
K “And then there are the Fraud Factories, American business and law schools, teaching students the subtle art of fraud and deception. The kids are taught to advance their own self-interest over anything else at almost any cost. They are taught the nuances of gaming a business and legal system that is designed to be gamed. Neither government regulation nor market forces restrain or direct their activities.”
J “Biz schools are the most profitable divisions of the American corporate university system. Biz schools are more profitable than law schools that are in turn more profitable than med schools.”
K “And the colleges of arts and crafts may no longer be tolerated as loss leaders, albeit very expensive divisions of the corporate university system. The motto of the American Association of Fraud Factories says it all: ‘No Duty, No Honor, No Country.’”
J “Some cutting edge biomedical engineers are debating how to teach robots to behave ethically. The Fraud Factories take kids who exhibit one common trait – a ready willingness to obey and please their superiors – and engineer them to be robots.”
K “Remember after Watergate when there was a national hand wringing about the nadir of the legal profession that occurred at the same time the journalism profession was at its zenith. Law schools instituted professional responsibility classes. Some astute students realized that a B+ grade reflected the right attitude to employers. That is enough to get by and keep moving through the system but not too much enthusiasm for the topic.”
J “The problem today is with the students admitted to the schools, the indoctrination process and the indentured servitude status that consigns the graduates to represent wealthy interests to pay off their crushing debts.”
K “Think about it. If Schicklgruber applied to law or business school today, the profitable schools would aggressively bid to attract him. He is the ideal applicant – brilliant, charismatic and destined to succeed. Everything is about success and power, and power and success, and success and power. Yeats could have proffered the exchange rate.”
J “If Concentration Camps of America, Inc. ever needs to staff concentration camps to warehouse and dispose of the unwanted, hire American-trained lawyers and biz school grads. They won’t ask questions.”
K “But don’t dare miss payroll.”
. . .
Bumper stickers of the week:
I’m not my brother’s keeper, just his banker. I’m not even his banker, I’m my own banker.
Follow the money
I was just following orders
I was just following the money
I was just following the money orders
Duty, Honor, Country
Honor, Courage, Commitment
Smile while you’re makin’ it, Laugh while you’re takin’ it, Even though you’re fakin’ it, Nobody’s gonna know. O Lucky Man!
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