The Masters of the Universe are parasites

After I read last week about how bond king Michael Gross dropped the equivalent of several thousand worker salaries on a coupla postage stamps, I knew that the parasitic neo-gilded age was in full swing. Now we get to hear that investment bankers stand to reap enormous bonuses this year:

Economically, the year-end bonus makes up most of a Wall Street professional's compensation. Socially, the bonus - and the real estate, art and NetJets shares purchased with it - determines who will be the year's Masters of the Universe. This season, despite a lackluster stock market, bonuses are forecast to be strong for a third consecutive year.

[snip]

Paychecks for fixed-income traders, those who trade debt - like bonds, credit derivatives and mortgage-backed securities - are expected to be flat to 5 percent higher. Still, coming on top of their already large levels of compensation, such bonuses will leave those traders high on the Street's pecking order.

The big winners could be traders involved in commodities and energy, in particular, proprietary traders who deal in those two high-octane growth areas. They could receive pay increases of 40 percent to 50 percent, with some walking away with $15 million to $20 million each, according to one investment banking executive who is prohibited by his firm from commenting on compensation issues.

Oh c'mon, we're all winners in this deal aren't we? I mean, these investment bankers will use these huge windfalls in order to ... trickle down... their incomes into... art, and jet rentals and stuff. Yeah. Let's not ignore the obvious: these bankers are parasites of the first order, cash-bloaded ticks hungry for the next, bigger blood feast. And those of us who've been seeing our paychecks and lifestyles shrinking can basically thanks these parasites for doing whatever is they do to suck us dry.

Get angry: this is not the way an economy is supposed to work.