Typical: This is the punishment these people get for screwing up so impressively: They get to move on to the next lucrative position, and the next chance to screw up royally.

Look up the CEOs and board members of the banks and investment houses that took government bailouts in 2008. I did, once, and it's depressing. Except for the ones who have retired, they are all still doing business, just one door down at the next bank or next investment house. None of them suffered the remotest personal inconvenience for their incompetence.

Depressing...

They could relocate to Detroit to take advantage of all the housing the government has acquired already. That thousand dollar down payment would buy the entire house...

I guess some people are too stupid to learn from failure.

Well, why should they learn from it when they are never truly punished for it, MarkD?
They are, in fact, rewarded for their incompetance and epic idiocy with new jobs, bonuses, and bailouts.

Only with the government does it seem that failure is the goal and success is awarded to those who fail best.

MarkD: "I guess some people are too stupid to learn from failure."

Except that they're not stupid and they didn't fail. Whether the results of their accomplishments are successes or failures depends on their goals. The people who hired them view their achievements and the damage they've done as successes that qualify them for their new positions.

"... the loans to the welfare recipients would require "as little as $1,000 of the down payment to come from their own funds" and that the city of Charlotte would help borrowers obtain a "down payment subsidy" to cover the rest of the 3% down payment."

Did anyone else notice the words "welfare recipiants" and "their own funds" used in the same sentence here? Um, it's not their own funds. They're on welfare. The fact that they ARE ON WELFARE wasn't red flag #1?

And, now... Oh goody! Now they get to try again... if at first you don't succeed... (at failing)... try try again!

I recently finished a book on Winston Churchill in World War II. In the book, one of the reasons given for the British Army's ongoing difficulty in finding competent senior commanders and its consistent underperformance (especially measured against its German and Japanese enemies) was the old boy network that pervaded that service.

Senior Army commanders who failed were not sent home (like they were in the American Army). They were rotated to a new command. So, the commander who abjectly failed against the Germans in North Africa was sent to the Pacific where he spectacularly failed against the Japanese.

Lower ranking officers were expected to bide their time until it was "their turn" for a command, so competent lower-ranked officers were rarely promoted to command spots to replace incompetent, but socially and politically connected, senior officers.

As a result, the British Army spent as much time fighting its own incompetence as it did fighting the Germans. Its lower morale reflected this. British soldiers were generally capable, but even competent British officers often found it hard to extract from their troops performances good enough to beat the Germans or Japanese.

The author contrasted the British Army with the American Army where commanders who failed were sent home to non-combat duties. Lloyd Fredendall, who commanded the disasterous American defeat at Kasserine Pass was quicly and unapologetically replaced with Geogrge Patton.

American government is becoming as hidebound as the British Army described in this book. And will probably suffer similarly dire consequences as a result.

The Economist once said that Americans process failure faster and better than any nation on earth. They meant it as a compliment. We're losing that ability - much to our detriment.

The Economist once said that Americans process failure faster and better than any nation on earth. They meant it as a compliment. We're losing that ability - much to our detriment.

Posted by: Conan the Grammarian at June 5, 2013 11:31 AM

Conan, it won't last long.
Individual merit in the American military and political classes is rapidly being replaced by an ethnic spoils system, which will generate even worse battle commanders and diplomats than the British old boys club.

The Economist once said that Americans process failure faster and better than any nation on earth. They meant it as a compliment. We're losing that ability - much to our detriment.

Is anyone really surprised? We're raising entire generations in a public school system that cares so much more for the self esteem of the children (and/or the same similar ethnic spoils issues) resulting in graduating people that are functionally illiterate and who can't even do basic math.

I've heard a PSA on the radio lately where a guy asks if you have time to create a 26 second clip to help convince kids to stay in school. I want to see ones made where the message is something like: I know you see around you people who are taken care of by the gov't while sitting on their ass and you think you don't need to work hard, but those of us that are productive and actually pay taxes are reaching our limit and the gravy train is likely to end soon. So if you don't want to live a miserable life on the street, you should plan to get at least a basic education and find a job you can work at.

Unfortunately, I'm worried that not enough people will stand up soon enough (it might already be too late) to stop the course this country is currently on.

Unfortunately, I'm worried that not enough people will stand up soon enough (it might already be too late) to stop the course this country is currently on. -- Miguelitosd at June 5, 2013 5:07 PM

I think it's too late. But I'm split doing both political advocacy and prepping.