The bankrupcy of Lehman Brothers/论雷曼兄弟倒闭

听说，美国的第四大投资银行雷曼兄弟倒闭了，听说而已，我没有亲见。一时间城里沸沸扬扬，成了最热门的话题。原因不仅是它是美国的大银行，主要是因为牵扯的人和资金太多，仅新加坡一地，便有近万人受牵连，涉及资金超过5亿元。五亿呀，真能把人吓死，这以前我根本不知道新加坡人原来这么有钱。这些人之所以倒霉是因为购买了各大银行发售的雷曼迷你债卷，以致血本无归。上当的不乏白发苍苍的弱势群体，也有普通上班族，甚至包括众多的新加坡联络所。他们之所以购买是因为那些银行工作人员的“大力推荐”。不只一个“苦主”申诉他们本来是要存定期存款的，但在那些销售人员的“热情”介绍下，改买此债卷，从此上了贼船。既然人家拍着胸脯一再保证毫无风险，再加上这些都是新加坡响当当的大银行, 有谁能想得到那些表面上看起来无限风光的大银行们居然卖给大家一堆废纸？现在，这些银行家们把自己洗得一干二净，翘着二郎腿说道，白纸黑字的合同不是你们自己签的吗？那上面不是写得清清楚楚喽，风险是有的嘛，有什么好怪的？是你们自己的问题嘛，跟我有什么关系呢？然而，跟银行打过交道的人，都知道对他们有利的写得比斗还大，不利的则与细菌有的比美。不要说那些目不识丁的老人家及不揞英文人士，本人也曾被渣打银行骗过，（详见上）他们当时劝我拿他们的贷款，因为那时我第一次申请贷款，很多事不熟悉。其实我们拿的是延迟付款计划，那时根本无须拿贷款，但他们去说你最好现在拿，不然将来有一天你失业了，再申请就没人会给你了。而事实上即使你签了，到头来你没工作的时候如果他们会给你才怪。他们还说现在贷款利息低，你签了比较有保证。听起来你还以为一旦签了就按此利息执行对吗？而事实上是将来一旦利息长了，你的利息也将水涨船高，而将来利息降了，却于你毫无关系。如果你明白了这些还会提前签吗？绝对不！而且，银行的操作毫无透明度可言，我们当时拿贷款的时候，几乎每个月都会收到银行的来信，通知我们利息上调了，有的月甚至上调不止一次。可当你去问他们究竟什么样的顾客会上调，他们就说“It's case by case"。拒绝透露详情，难道我们作为消费者没有知情的权力么？所以说这些签字的人无疑都是被误导的，包括这次雷曼兄弟一案。被骗的人，不必感到羞耻，应该勇敢地站出来，从这次被骗的人群我们可以看出，不仅仅是那些受教育程度低，不揞英文的人士，就连政府机构，甚至其他的银行也被骗了。由此看出如果它是有心要骗你的话，是很难分辨的。我们之所以上当是因为我们相信政府，相信法律，及过于相信了他们的信誉。而并不是因为我们愚蠢。那么银行如此一边倒的“赚”钱，却还巨额亏损，甚至资不抵债，只好倒闭了事究竟是为什么呢？君不见同行的大耳隆们，在警察和政府的双重打压下，拿到的都是银行家们不屑一顾的客户，生意却做的风生水起，有谁听过那个大耳隆倒闭的？而银行家们通常与政府高官有着极为密切的联系，政策都是向着他们有利的方面制定的，真是含在嘴里怕化了，捧在手里怕摔了，亦步亦趋，结果却不甚理想，这又到底是为什么呢？从最近的报纸中不难找到答案，原来这些银行大亨们年薪多过7千万美金，还不算他们的福利。据说他们是以飞机，游艇代步的。这当然不用自掏腰包喽。7千万呐！能养活多少寻常百姓！是他们真的才华出众吗？才怪！近来千疮百孔的众银行们已经给你答案了，经营能力远不如大耳隆嘛。可大耳隆们平易近人的多喽，他们通常是赤膊上阵，从而省去了购买高档名牌的开支，最多加一辆破旧的货车，也免去了马赛地，劳斯莱斯的开销，这便是他们成功的秘诀。据说雷曼“苦主”们除了几次号无诚意的对话外迄今一无所获，你不得不佩服那些银行家的胆识，当他们看到那些无助的人们的申诉，居然可以无动于衷，不要说你我做不到，就连心肠比岩石还硬的大耳隆们亦望尘莫及。现在轰轰烈烈的救市开始了，然而如不加强管理，提高透明度，历史将会重演，会有更多的李曼兄弟，张曼兄弟纷纷倒闭，政府有多少钱也不够，更何况这是我们纳税人的钱，凭什么哪我们的钱大慷其恺？也许政府觉得从他们那里可以得到高额税收，但事实上是他们所缴付的根本不足以用来填补他们的窟窿。
不管怎么说雷曼兄弟还是倒掉了。难道当那些大亨们带着全家坐着私人飞机，豪华游艇，快乐的渡假的时候，没有想到这样下去迟早有一天是要倒闭的吗？雷曼兄弟倒的好！
活该。

I heard the 4th biggest investment bank in the US, Lehman Brothers, is bankrupt. I’ve only heard it. I did not see it with my own eyes. Suddenly it became the hottest topic in town. Not only because it's one of the biggest banks in the US, but also because it involved so many people and huge amount of money. For example, in Singapore alone, there are almost 10,000 people involved and more than $500,000,000 evaporated in no time. $500,000,000! What a shocking amount! I did not know Singaporeans were so rich before. The reason why they are suffering now is because they bought Lehman Brother's Minibonds, sold by various corporate banks located in Singapore, are now worthless. The victims include not only our senior citizens, but also include working professionals like us; including, even some of Singapore’s Town Councils. They bought it under the "strong recommendation" of the bank staff. Many victims complained they originally planned to save their money as fixed deposits. After the bank staff's "warm" recommendation, they changed their idea, and boarded this pirate ship. They had several times guaranteed there wouldn't be any risk. Besides, these were all reputable banks in Singapore. Who would be able to tell that these "reputable" bankers would sell us a pile of scrap paper? Now they have completely washed their hands. They shook their arms saying: "These contracts were in black and white. It stated that they were not risk free and you've already signed it. Nothing strange about it. Why do you now come and bother me?" If you deal with banks before, you will know that they will do anything to their own advantage. They will put what they need to in the fine print. These bankers are very cunning. Even the best educated people can be cheated by them, let alone those old folks and people who do not understand English. I myself also had horrible experiences with Standard Chartered before. At that time, they persuaded me to take a loan from them. That was my first time to take a loan. Lots of things I did not understand. Actually we were under differed payment, which meant we did not need to take a loan at that time. However, they told me it's better to sign now since, you should not wait until you are out of job. No one would prove your loan until that time. In fact, even if you signed, no one will provide any loan to you when you are out of a job. They also said now the interest rate is low, so it's the best time to sign. It sounded as if once you signed, it would follow the rate stated in the contract. In fact, when in the future, if there's any increase in the interest rate, yours will be increased, but any decrease has nothing to do with you. If you understand these, would you sign? Definitely not, right? Besides, there is no openness or transparency to their operations. When we were under Standard Chartered, almost every month we received the letters from them, informing us that the interest rate had been adjusted. Sometimes we received such letters more than once a month. When we asked was it all the customers' interest rate had been adjusted? Their answer was no. Then we asked them what the criteria was to select the customers whose interest rate had been adjusted? They simply answered:" It's case by case," and refused to reveal any details. As a consumer, we don't even have the right to know about what we paid for? Strange, right? That's why I said those people who signed the contracts were misled. It is the same as the Lehman case. Those who were cheated don't have to feel shame. Instead, they should bravely cry out against this injustice. From those who have been swindled, we can see, they not only old folks and people who are poorly educated, but they also include Government agencies and even banks. Are you trying to tell they are also stupid? No. We were bluffed not because we are not smart. It simply because we trusted too much in our institutions of Government, our laws and the "reputation of these banks". From this experience, we learned one lesson: if a prestigious bank planned to cheat you, it's hard to distinguish the criminals from the non-criminals. Why is it then, when banks resort to such corrupt and ruthless practices, that they still end up with huge losses and bankruptcy? Meanwhile look at those loan sharks. They are under the severe pressure from both the Government and the police, they got the clients whom the bankers do not even want to sett their eyes on, but they are able to make a huge profit. Have you heard of any loan shark becoming bankrupt? On the contrary, those bankers have very close relationships with the high ranking government officials. They always ensure that all policies formulated towards them are to their advantages. They were always been handled with care, as if handling a new born baby. Why is there still such a horrible result? One can easily find out the answer from recent news. Those bankers made 70 million per year! 70 million -- excluding their other benefits. It is said they travel by their private jets and yachts. Of course it is not necessary for them to pay these costs from their own pockets. 70 million -- enough to feed so many people. Is it because they are so capable that they must be paid such a high salary? Nah. We've already seen their abilities from the horrible result of the recent crisis. They are far less capable when compared to the loan sharks who more down to earth. Normally they are dressed in just a sleazy undershirt to save them the cost of buying branded suits and ties. At best they just drive old vans, so that it will save them the cost of buying Mercedes- Benz and Rolls Royce, let alone private jets or yachts. This is the secret of their success. It is known that besides some useless dialogues, the Lehman victims did not get anything. I guess we all have our reasons to admire those bankers. After listening to the complaints of the victims, they still remain calm and they still refuse to provide any solutions to help them. Not only are we incapable of that, even loan sharks whose hearts are as hard as rocks are not comparable to them. Now we hear of the fame of government formulated packages to save these banks. If the governments won't tighten the rules and regulations, increase the transparency of their operations, and add watchdogs; no matter how much money they give to these banks, history will repeat itself. There will be more banks, like Rayman brothers, Cayman Brothers becoming bankrupt. On what justification can they use our money to be so generous? Perhaps governments think they could get significant tax revenues from them, but as a matter of fact, this money would not be enough to fill the deep financial pits they create. Nevertheless Lehman Brothers is bankrupt. When these tycoons happily went for their holidays with their families by their private jets and luxury yachts, they have never thought if they don't do a proper job, sooner or later their bank will be bankrupt. It is a wonderful thing that Lehman Brothers bankrupted.

It deserves it.