Blizzard Hits Wall Street But A Little Birdie Sings!

March 14, 2017

A massive blizzard that is pounding the Northeast this morning. As such, no one is going to give a crap about a BrokeAndBroker.com Blog piece today about Wall Street regulation. So . . . let's digress and consider a favorite story of mine about the misgivings of a singing songbird in winter.

As fall fell upon the brook, the birds began to take to the skies and fly south for warmer climes. One bird, Manny, wasn't quite sure if there was any point in pulling up stakes. It had been a warmer than usual fall. Maybe there wasn't any point in closing down the nest and joining the annual exodus. Older, wiser birds than Manny pulled him aside and said to get a move on. They warned him that winter was coming with a vengeance. Manny knew better. He was a young bird and a risk taker. He decided to hang in there near the tree by the brook.

At first, Manny's gamble looked like a good bet. With the onset of winter, there was no snow and the temperatures were almost balmy. Then, one morning, Manny awoke to two feet of snow and a frozen pond. Day after day, things got worse and colder. Day after day, little Manny the songbird was starving and freezing to death.

One day, which Manny thought was likely his last, he stumbled into a field where several cows were chomping away at some bales of hay.  As his hunger and the cold took its toll, Manny passed out under one such cow. The final indignity, the songbird thought, was that his last conscious thought was a huge cow turd falling on him and covering him up. What a way to die. 

Then the unexpected happened: Manny awoke and realized that he wasn't dead. The songbird soon figured out that he was surrounded by a warm cow turd, which was filled with pieces of hay that he ate and nourished himself on.  Finding himself warm and full, Manny the songbird started to chirp away in utter happiness and contentment. 

It just so happened that nearby was a cold, hungry wolf. To the wolf's surprise, he heard a singing songbird. Among the wolf's favorite meals was songbird. The wolf headed over towards the field filled with grazing cows and came upon the turd that covered Manny. And as the songbird continued to sing and give away his position, the wolf eagerly licked away at the cow pod until he had uncovered the singing bird . . . and then he ate him.  

Now, boys and girls, what is the moral of this story?  

Not everyone who shits on you is trying to hurt you.

Sometimes, when you're in shit, it's best to keep quiet.

Not everyone who gets you out of shit is your friend.

=====

OPEN CALL For BrokeAndBroker.Com Blog Contributors


The Mechanical Stuff

If you would like to pitch a Guest Blog for the BrokeAndBroker.com Blog, please send a brief outline of the proposed article to rrbdlawyer@gmail.com. I don't open attached files from unknown senders, so make sure that your pitch is in the text portion of the email. There is no compensation offered; however, I am happy to include in any article your direct contact information and professional biography.

Big Tent

I welcome all views and perspectives, even when they erroneously conflict with mine. Please do not send me puff or marketing pieces. I want regulatory/legal/compliance commentary on important cases and developing issues. Also, I am seeking thoughtful observations about investing and market trends. Customer advocates and unrepentant industry apologists are all welcome.  

Sample Guest Blogs

How many words? What's the preferred formatting? See these recent GUEST BLOGS:

If you've got the writer's itch, scratch it at the BrokeAndBroker.com Blog.
Send submissions to: rrbdlawyer@gmail.com