Comments on: Ten Most Wanted: Culprits of the Collapse

By: Annie M

Annie M — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 21:09:04 +0000

Why must these CEOs make so much personal income?
Why do we pay professional athletes and actors such exhorbitant salaries? Why do we pay teachers so little?
Just how much money does one really need in order to live a satisfying and fulfilling life? Do we really need multiple homes and cars and ostentatious jewelry? People are starving and not receiving proper education. Our future will be in great peril with a generation of misguided and uneducated people leading it.
We are a nation of greed and selective morals and have lost sight of what is truly important. Our children have so few role models.
We need change and we need it now. It is up to the citizens to demand this and see it through. We cannot count on our government or leaders to do the right thing if there is no transparency or consequences for these scandals.
Greed is NOT good.
Go get 'em, Anderson, and keep on keeping us informed. Thanks.

By: S. M. Periyasamy

S. M. Periyasamy — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 21:08:35 +0000

CNN. In general, you are doing a superb job. Anderson Cooper, not only me but most Americans are anxious to know the 10 most wanted culprits who looted the life savings of the working men and women of this great nation. They should be prosecuted and their illegal wealth should be confiscated. Most importantly, a legislation should be introduced to cap their salary and bonus in order to prevent reoccurence of this kind of episode.

By: Penny

Penny — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 21:07:07 +0000

They should all be jailed for life.

By: Jim Walker

Jim Walker — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 21:03:26 +0000

Kudos to Anderson Cooper for going after the criminals responsible for this historic economic debacle. Their greed and arrogance have brought misery and poverty to millions of people, and not just in the United States. Every last one of them need to be brought to trial: the worst of them should be tried for treason against the people of the U.S.A.

By: Bharat Mulchandani

Bharat Mulchandani — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 21:00:10 +0000

Mirror, Mirror on the wall – Who is to blame for it all? We, the people, stupid! The same three words that start our Constitution. NOTHING will be accomplished until to go back to the basics that made this country great. Work hard, be good and not be afraid to take on new challenges. Instead we have become a society that lives beyond our means. It is easy to blame the banks, realtors, mortgage brokers, etc. The REAL culprit is the consumer. That is consuming what has not been earned. The imbalance started at the top and it has trickled its way down. Why hasn't anyone in authority addressed the REAL issue head on. We have lived on borrowed money for decades. We need to accept our mistakes, make real changes, and not be afraid of the future.

By: DC

DC — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 20:57:10 +0000

That's ridiculous to compare athletes to CEO's managing finanial companies that the general population invest in. I’m not in agreement with the salaries athletes make, however, it doesn’t matter to me because I don’t ask an athlete for advise nor do I invest in their teams. The CEO represent and manage financial companies, and are required to be provide accurate information and investment opportunities to the everyday citizen… any they haven’t been honest with either.

By: Kyle Copeland

Kyle Copeland — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 20:46:59 +0000

AIG=American Institute of Greed- they are giving out scholarships.

By: gg

gg — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 20:46:13 +0000

Why we are giving money again to AIG? It seems they are fine enjoying with the initial bailout money. Why all the senior executives of AIG cannot be fired?

By: Doug McVicker

Doug McVicker — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 20:42:51 +0000

The U.S. Government is the blame for this fiasco. Yes, greed by CEO's is the part of the problem but the government allowed this to happen while padding their own pockets. Senator Chris Dodd and Rep Barney Frank have alot to answer for. The prosperity of the 90's is now coming to the forefront as a complete facade. Bill Clinton may see his legacy go out the door.

By: Rock

Rock — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 20:42:44 +0000

Cash cows........the American public.........are cash cows and the politicians and big company's know it.

Keep us informed as best you can Anderson..........:)_

By: Crystal

Crystal — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 20:42:43 +0000

Anderson,

Now this is why I watch your show! I am so glad you are doing this list. We have been hearing so many talking points on both sides of the aisle - republican and democrat. So many things are being discussed that just don't matter in our lives. I am so glad someone will give us the information we really want.

Everyone should go on the senate and house websites to get their representatives information. We need to be calling our representatives to make sure these people are held accountable. If enough Americans are calling for accountability, we will get it. We just can't stay silent anymore.

By: Patti

Patti — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 20:34:59 +0000

Great job Anderson! I applaud you and CNN for giving the public this information.

By: M S

M S — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 20:30:20 +0000

Terrific!! Hold nothing back – be completely objective and impartial. There is plenty of blame to go around – gov't policies, industries, individuals and the public. Lay it all out there for all of us to see. As you can see by the responses to date, we finally have a public willing to display its rage about an issue. We're all made as hell and we're not going to take it any more!! Let common sense prevail!!

By: Jean

Jean — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 20:28:23 +0000

Does extreme capitalism have a name? Greed is greed, even if it does wear lipstick and live in the Hamptons.

By: Dave B.

Dave B. — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 20:23:26 +0000

If the American people are not at the top of your list, your efforts will have been in vain. Blaming a few CEO's (AIG, Lehman, etc.) and politicians (Clinton, Bush, etc.), wil be ludicrous. Americans living beyond their means is the problem. Period.

By: Ed (New Orleans)

Ed (New Orleans) — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 20:23:21 +0000

The most horrible part of this entire story of these individuals is that they will simply go on to the next multi-million dollar job and deal and chances are pretty strong that some of them will be the money managers hired by the government to dole out the 700 billion dollar bailout fund.

By: Gil

Gil — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 20:23:21 +0000

With the Dow below 9000, it doesn't seem like the bailout is working. 700 Billion down the toilet. That's enough to give every person in the US about 2300 dollars!

I think that would have been a better option. With a family of 5, I would get a little over 10K, spend about a thousand or so, which would help the economy, and the rest would go in the bank. If everyone else did something similar, the banks would have money to loan out again, hopefully in a more responsible manner.

By: Thomas Pain

Thomas Pain — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 20:22:47 +0000

I nominate George Bush as culprit number one. When he was inaugurated, the government was running record surpluses, paying down debt, and following text-book perfect fiscal policies. The Bush administration pushed reckless tax cuts and a voluntary war in Iraq that swung the fiscal balance towards record deficits, and added nearly $5 trillion to the gross Federal debt.

Giving tax cuts to rich people has a predictable consequence–it creates asset bubbles. The Bush tax cuts were a main cause of the housing bubble, and the housing bubble was the main cause of the mess we're in right now. Thanks, George.

By: Dee from CT

Dee from CT — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 20:22:01 +0000

Mr. Cooper, you stated it perfectly: "... once the world’s attention moves on, the time for hold people accountable never seems to arrive..." Sadly, we've become more and more adapted to this lack of memory, it's good to see that a change is afoot; this is not something that should be swept under the proverbial rug, the top 10 should be made to answer for their decisions, where is their remorse, admission of guilt or any attempt to make any of this slightly better to swallow. I know if I make a drastic error in my job, I'm held responsible, including potentially being let go. What’s more, since I am no where close to the top of the totem pole, I do not get a nifty severance package when it happens either...

By: Jay

Jay — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 20:21:45 +0000

WOW – when did it become a crime in this country to succeed? When did it become a crime in this country to post a profit to the company's balance sheets? Do you all think that every CEO and CFO in this global economy world is nothing but a bunch of thiefs and crooks? There are plenty of them who run large businesses and employ hundreds of thousands of our fellow Americans ethically. Perhaps it's a case of the "one bad apple spoils the barrel mentality." Oh and one other thought...where's the outrage with the multimillion dollar salaries our sports heros and celebs pull in every year? Lastly, aren't we all entitled to a fair trial by law in this country? I'd like to see the results of the FBI probe completed before we pass judgement. This sounds like an electronic lynching.