Just a note on the bailout.

[mmonk]

Many are treating it as yet another example of corporate welfare to benefit some crony CEO's. Understand corporate welfare is feeding Halliburton, Lockheed Martin, General Electric, the medical insurance industry, etc., etc., etc. and so forth, by contracts funded by the taxpayers. While the conditions that forced a bailout of the financial sector were cronyism and influence such as deregulation, tax breaks and credits, subsidizing, etc., understand that no company wants to be taken over. The bailout in the financial sector was to avoid a real crisis and depression that would affect ALL Americans as well as the world in a very very negative way that would be life changing. The key now is to reregulate and stay vigilent and to push for an end of crony capitalism. But don't make out the bailout decision itself to be crony based or fascism or anything it isn't.

[baldguy]

1. Here's an idea: instead of bailing out the corporate giants who wrote those bad loans

Why not bail out the homeowners who were forced into them?

[mmonk]

3. I believe some have mentioned a mortgage relief plan of some sort.

[dchill]

2. "The key now is to reregulate..."

Like that would ever happen under a McCain administration. It's welfare for the banking industry. They'll get to stay in bidness and we'll pay for it with devalued dollars and higher prices.

[mmonk]

4. I believe the Congress will have a say forward.

[Blue Meany]

5. Any business that is "too big to fail" is too big

Such concentration of power in the hands of a few CEOs and investors would have sent chills down the spines of the founders.

[mmonk]

6. True. Not conceivable, even in the case of the East India Tea Co..

However, under current circumstances we must return Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to their original purpose. Nobody going forward should help other than finding a buyer unless the breadth is as great as AIG. We need to avoid: