A Must Read by Bob Lefsetz

"The blackest despair that can take hold of any society is the fear that living honestly is futile." Italian journalist Corrado Alvaro, quoted in the Sydney Australian Via "The Week" This is what bothers people. The belief that the game is rigged, that if they play by the rules they just can't win. And winning doesn't mean a private jet and an island vacation but the ability to put food on the table under your own roof after doing a hard day's work. It's not that we believe rich people should cough up all their dough, but how is it that hedge fund management fees are taxed at capital gains rates when they're guaranteed? Oh yeah, they own Congress, that's what money buys you. Same deal with the copyright police. Mickey Mouse is about to go into the public domain so Michael Eisner sics Disney lobbyists on D.C. and suddenly the term is extended. Huh? So if you want to use Mickey to add a little brightness to your business, you can't. It's not how much is too much but the fact that we can't get ours. Now the younger generation is different. They believe in honesty and transparency. Try convincing an educated young 'un he should be screwed by the record company. It's almost impossible to do. That's why those who want to succeed on their music instead of the trappings want nothing to do with the Big Four. Shouldn't the music be enough? The banks blew up the country and were rescued by the government. Constituents purchased overpriced houses run up in value by the financial shenanigans and now that they're underwater there's no relief. And if you think you can make it from the bottom to the top, you're dreaming. You need that Ivy League education, you need to know the right people, people you've got no chance of ever encountering. As for living on your public employee salary...you're the problem with America, don't you know? Not Goldman Sachs, but you... Just like homeowners created the mortgage problem. This is not a left or right issue. The gap between rich and poor has demoralized a vast swath of our country. Hell, I feel it myself. I went to school with these people. But no matter how hard I try I can never make the money they do. As for those so rich in the music business... I can get a good concert ticket, I know people. But the average person cannot. That's what's keeping StubHub in business, the ability to get a good seat. You might have to overpay, but at least you've got a chance. Logging into Ticketmaster you don't. And it's not a Ticketmaster problem. It's an artist greed problem. The artists could solve this problem but they don't want to. They want to live the life of the bankers too. Everybody's trying to climb a greased pole, pushing those below them down. Yet we still can't get to the top. This issue spontaneously combusted. Just like the Arab spring. It's not like the connivers on Wall Street only started today, like we just found out, their misdeeds have been in plain sight for three years. But finally, people have had too much. I've had too much. Have you?