Perhaps you have heard about the developing scandal concerning Bank of America CEO Ken Lewis and the deal to buy Merrill Lynch. The previous Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke threatened Mr. Lewis in order to intimidate him into continuing the unprofitable acquisition of Merill Lynch. The Wall Street Journal reported on the government’s use of force on April 28th. A mere four days later, another instance of government intimidation came to light. A lawyer representing Chrysler bondholders says that one of his “clients was directly threatened by the White House and in essence compelled to withdraw its opposition to the deal under the threat that the full force of the White House Press Corps would destroy its reputation if it continued to fight. “
Such barefaced examples of the government initiating force on innocent citizens makes one wonder when (if) Americans are going to start sticking up for their individual rights. Samuel L. Jackson said it best in Snakes on a Plane: “Enough is enough!“
