Wall Street CEOs are like vultures

April 2009 Letter of the month

• Published May 02, 2009

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I really enjoy having them come to the feeders on my porch. The habits of the birds are very interesting. Different species, different personalities. My most frequent birds are finches, juncos, nuthatchers, hummingbirds and blue jays.

The blue jays really get my attention. They love the peanuts in the shell that I put out for them. If I put out 10 peanuts they take all 10. If I put out 100 peanuts they take all 100. They don’t need, or won’t use, all 100 but they take them anyway.

One day while watching the jays clean up everything in sight, it dawned on me that they mirror human behavior. While some people are content with a roof over their heads, food for their family and the basic necessities of life, others seem to want it all. Sad behavior.

Somewhere along the way this repulsive behavior came to be called the American dream — to want for more, more, more than a person could possibly need or use. Sad.

Homeless shelters and tent cities are full of the homeless. Food banks are having trouble feeding the victims of our terrible, broken economy. Health care is not an option for many.

On Wall Street, the CEOs, bankers and money managers give themselves incredibly huge bonuses. In the bird world, I suppose they would be the vultures — scavengers feeding off the carcasses of others.

Does anyone think this behavior is acceptable?

I think it’s for the birds. I hope I didn’t ruffle any feathers.

DAN NIELSEN, Olympia