An e-mail, live from Wall Street
Does anyone else find it offensive that Mayor Bloomberg rang the opening bell on the NYSE today to show that everything was “OK”?
There are massive blackouts, no commuter rails, no subways, very limited bus service, leaving driving the only option. However, the traffic lights are out making driving tremendously unsafe. The governors of New York and New Jersey are urging non-essential employees to stay home and people are being asked not to enter NYC unless absolutely necessary. I thought they were joking when those announcements were followed by the notification that the financial markets would be opening on time.
I think this shows a general contempt for the employees of the financial markets and reduces them to pawns in a dangerous game to give the impression that it’s business as usual in New York.
By ringing the bell on the NYSE, Mayor Bloomberg is complicit in this charade. After nearly being killed getting to my trading post by a truck that was going through an intersection without a traffic light, I found the mayor’s thumbs up gesture while ringing the bell particularly offensive.