"You want the truth? You can't handle the truth. Son, we live in a country with
an investment gap. And that gap needs to be filled by men with money. Who's
gonna do it? You? You, Middle Class Consumer? Goldman Sachs has a greater
responsibility than you can possibly fathom. You weep for Lehman and you curse
derivatives. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what we
know: that Lehman's death, while tragic, probably saved the financial system.
And that Goldman's existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you,
saves pension funds. You don't want the truth. Because deep down, in places you
don't talk about at parties, you want us to fill that investment gap. You need
us to fill that gap. "We use words like credit default swaps, collateralized
debt obligation, and securitization? We use these words as the backbone of a
life spent investing in something. You use 'em as a punchline. We have neither
the time nor the inclination to explain ourselves to a commoner who rises and
sleeps under the blanket of the very credit we provide, and then questions the
manner in which we provide it! We'd rather you just said thank you and paid
your taxes on time. Otherwise, we suggest you get an account and start trading.
Either way, we don't give a damn what you think you're entitled to!"
