Billions for Bailouts! Who Pays?by Bernie Sanders

[bronxiteforever]

September 19, 2008 at 18:06:41

The current financial crisis facing our country has been caused by the extreme right-wing economic policies pursued by the Bush administration. These policies, which include huge tax breaks for the rich, unfettered free trade and the wholesale deregulation of commerce, have resulted in a massive redistribution of wealth from the middle class to the very wealthy.


The middle class has really been under assault. Since President Bush has been in office, nearly 6 million Americans have slipped into poverty, median family income for working Americans has declined by more than $2,000, more than 7 million Americans have lost their health insurance, over 4 million have lost their pensions, foreclosures are at an all time high, total consumer debt has more than doubled, and we have a national debt of over $9.7 trillion dollars.

While the middle class collapses, the richest people in this country have made out like bandits and have not had it so good since the 1920s. The top 0.1 percent now earn more money than the bottom 50 percent of Americans, and the top 1 percent own more wealth than the bottom 90 percent. The wealthiest 400 people in our country saw their wealth increase by $670 billion while Bush has been president. In the midst of all of this, Bush lowered taxes on the very rich so that they are paying lower income tax rates than teachers, police officers or nurses.

http://www.opednews.com/articles/Billions-for-Bailouts-Who-by-Bernie-Sanders-080919-488.html

[99th_Monkey]

1. Shame on Sanders. What's he trying to do? ... Incite class warfare riots? Tsk, tsk.

:sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm:

[BraneMatter]

2. Enough is enough!

TRILLIONS AVAILABLE FOR WALL STREET BAILOUTS, BUT I CAN'T EVEN GET A DECENT COST-OF-LIVING INCREASE ON MY SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY CHECK AND CAN'T EVEN BUY ENOUGH FOOD FOR THE MONTH.

Don't EVER again talk to me about the glories of capitalism. What we really have here is obviously socialism for the rich only.

This is the biggest robbery of the people and transfer of wealth to the rich and elite of the capitalist class in history.

Secretary Paulson talks about how we have to protect the banks and investors against "systemic risk" and "illiquid assets" -- hell, how do I get a deal like that??? What a crock.

I will NEVER again vote for a Republican or Democrat. I will no longer be fooled by the diversionary tactic of finger pointing between the Democrats and Republicans to cover their crimes.

From now on I'm voting for the PSL (La Riva/Puryear), which is now on the ballot in my state of Arkansas. If we are gonna have communism, then by god I want it to benefit the workers and taxpayers, and screw the rich Wall Street robber barons and their criminal politician buddies. Will even one of these crooked CEO's or politicians end up in jail? Nope, instead they will get million dollar bonuses!

I am 64 years old, and I have obviously wasted my life defending a lie and a country that doesn't give a crap about "the people." How stupid I was... but this has opened my eyes to the truth!

Wall Street is smiling today (I would be too, if the taxpayers paid all my bills and protected me against all risk), but now I hope I live to see the day that capitalism comes crashing down on their crooked stinking heads.

For the President and Secretary of the Treasury to stand up there and tell us this massive "bailout" (robbery) is 'for the good of the American people' is an insult to my intelligence that makes me wanna puke. It's blackmail, extortion, and terrorism. Call it what it is.

So now we have capitalism without risk or penalty for outright criminal acts! A license to steal. A "nanny state" just for the rich. I will NEVER believe in America again -- it's all been a lie.

So go ahead a vote for the bailout, Senators and Congressmen, and thanks for opening my eyes to the truth that America, and most of the world, is ruled by a capitalist criminal sydicate and gang, no different than the Bloods and Crips or the Mafia. (The Mafia probably has more honor.)

And please, don't stand up there and tell us how this is all for the good of the American people. You are nothing but economic terrorists and extortionists, pure and simple.

There should not be one penny of taxpayer money stolen to bailout these bastards. Enough! They made their bed, let THEM pay for it!

[Amonester]

4. Welcome to DU.

I truly feel a lot of empathy for you and everybody who suffer because of this un-American regime that stole the last 8 years of blatant lies and unprecedented robberies that only benefited the wealthiest 'haves and havemores' and impoverished millions of honest citizens.

But, at the same time, voting for the PSL (La Riva/Puryear), or any other meaningless third party that stands no chance of ever winning any power whatsoever, will do you, us, and the rest of the world, absolutely nothing better (sorry).

Please go to: http://www.barackobama.com/index.php and try to understand the plan, and reconsider.

(Don't give the Republicans another shot for appointing another USSC extremist judge of their ilk, pppllllllleeeeeaaaaasssssssseeeee.)

Thanks!

http://www.barackobama.com/

K & R

[ananda]

3. Democrats want to include help for the middle class and the jobless and bush..

.. calls that spending "controversial" and out of the question?

I feel that huge frustration and scream inside the pit of my stomach.

Yow.w.w!!!!!!

How do those sociopathic horrors keep doing that? I will never get it,
even when the whole thing is analyzed every which way.

I just don't get it!!!!!!!!!!!

[janet118]

5. I once had a teacher who called it The Nixon Doctrine . . .

Just when you think that they can't get away with one more insane thing, they turn around and do something even worse.

The insanity finally did catch up with Nixon. But the GOP got bolder and more partisan and even managed to get rid of the Office of Special Prosecutor.

Now, even though Bush and Co. have committed crimes of every sort throughout its 8 year reign of horror, it will never get investigated more than superficially and no one will spend a minute in jail.

I have no voice and I must scream.

[blue97keet]

6. Can somebody explain this?

Half a trillion dollars from the taxpayers (or some foreign sovereign wealth fund or who knows what) solely to get the Feds in control of refinancing bad mortgages because the go-betweens between the lenders and mortgage security investors are tangled up in legalese and "unwilling" to refinance? I am not in financial services but I watched a hearing on C-span with Barny Frank and a bunch of banking bigwigs and the FDIC etc. and that is what the whole mess sounded like. Is there some way to make them "willing" to refinance that does not cost half a trillion, like a kick in the pants perhaps?

[yurbud]

7. K & r