Forum Post: Somehow, I think we've all been here before --A bit of New York History.
Posted 12 years ago on Nov. 18, 2011, 10:27 a.m. EST by Jeshurun
(10)
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I stumbled accross the following document today while trying to do a bit of digging on a great granduncle of mine called Michael Ryan who was an aide to Boss Crocker of Tammany Hall ( from around the 1880's 90's on?) .Apparently my great grand uncle was assasinated in new york and I was trying to track down some info on his life and the circumstances surrounding his assasination ... But ...the opening statements of a pre Crocker era Tammany Hall meeting really shocked me today as it reads like it could be just as applicable to New York right now ( ...and there was also a pretty unhealthy rivalry between the Tammany Hall bosses and the likes of JP Morgan and the banking elites of New York ...although both camps frequently dabled in curruption to meet their personal aims and interests. Back then it seems that social hierarchy had more to do with immigrant societies than any class structure - though a curruption case tipped the balance of power in favour of the one percent 'class structure' and severely dented the Tammany Hall hierarchy. Any way, just take a peek at this document from 1818 .... looks like it could be an opening address from the Occupy Movement of the day!!
http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=yhJLAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA3&lpg=PA3&dq=meeting+tammany+society&source=bl&ots=G8ax-3DKdj&sig=IqE6wot8EAllz5CoYgixhpkeGsg&hl=en&ei=DnPGTtGyA8XA8QOD_5WIAQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CEAQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q&f=false I've not read the full document yet - but it does scream out loud of a nation being hindered by a few.
ps... If anyone does know or remember any documents on an aide of Boss Crocker called Michael Ryan please give me a shout and let me know :)
Apparently, true democracy was never meant to have a stock market, banks or even billiard balls ( although if the author of the document were to frequent nearly any bar in the village I'm sure he'd be pretty horrified at the sound of the balls jangling together on those tables too!). It seems that even at the birth of the union that the greed of stock brokers and fraudulent bankers were threatening to usurp and destroy the true economy of the nation... and even though many regulations were introduced, their undoing has allowed the collapse of not just the American economy but the entire world... But still the bankers, brokers, corporations and lenders want more ...to them the devouring of wealth and assets is an addiction that can never be satisfied - even if they knew it would kill them and bring utter ruin to their families and distruction upon the entire world they'd still demand more and allways will... and even though Tammany Hall ended up trying to fight fire with fire through corruption and backhanders themselves they at least had some insight as to the nature of the economical disaster that is bringing ruin on the entire world ....some of those insights shine a massive light on the roots of the weeds that are currently eating america too. A massive rewrite of the rules of stock broking is needed . There were even banking addicts who were scrambling wildly and cashing in on 9/11 when their so called friends and buisness collegues were dying in the twin towers. They were profiting and lining their own pockets while the cities police and firefighters were losing their lives to save those who were trapped.
Reinstate the Glass-Stegal Act!