How about instead of $700 billion to Wall Street, rewrite everyone's mortgage for a much lower rate so everyone can afford their house and has money to spend. Give the money back to the people that got screwed not the people who did the screwing.

Washinghton is full of IDIOTS today. America voted the idiots into office & many have voted many of these idiots into office again & again & again. - NOW YOU PAY THE PRICE.

They are so stupid, they reward the wrong people & punish the taxpayers.

As of right now - America should do - NOTHING... Those that lost jobs, deserve to lose their jobs as many were the ones giving out bad loans. Those who are losing their houses - deserve it - If you sign a loan, that's it. You signed it & it says you know what your doing, you read it carefully & you understand what is written on that paper. You were totally sure when you signed it, you could make those payments even when they adjust. ME, I got my 15 year note - FIXED. I paid it off in 9 years by making extra payments when I could & today I laugh at those stupid fools trying to do it their way & watch daily as they fail.  

Its a very SIMPLE PROCESS.

1 - save up for a  DOWN PAYMENT  (most don't today, they jusy pay more & more intrest monthly - losing even more money every month.

2 - no major purchases till the home is PAID FOR.

My tv was 37 years old, my ref was a very small white box, I had no video games or Wii's or playstations. No new cars, trucks, remodeling till the house is PAID FOR.  I slept on a matress lying on the floor for 7 years b4 buying a frame, & today, I still have no headboard or footboard, BUT I GOT 1 REALLY NICE HOUSE - PAID FOR.... Soon with prices so low, I will buy what I like for my Home & start to look for yet another house to steal form some loser that can't read a contract.

  Now when most cant even make house payments, people like me are LOOKING TO BUY your stuff, pennies on the dollar....

THATS THE LESSON HERE PEOPLE - You have to be taught the hard way because you cant make good (TOUGH) choices when you should - SO others will make them for you.

THE BAIL OUT IS A JOKE. Bailing out the investors is an insult to all the Americans that MADE THE RIGHT CHOICES & it only teaches the bad investors that its ok - The Gov't will step in & cover you loses & screw the taxpayers AGAIN.

THATS WHAT IS GOING ON HERE.

- All investors know- You can win & collect profits or you can lose the farm

- BE SMART & CAREFUL - But don't go asking for handouts because you signed a contract - YOU made a promise - YOU CANT KEEP.

This is not the govermemts problem - This is an American citizens problem - Let them work it out on their own - LIVE & LEARN

If you can't look back on your life & see how all thoses millions (OUR PARENTS & THEIRS) did it before our time without screwing the pooch = THEN LIVE & LEARN THE HARD WAY PEOPLE.

IF this Gov't bails out these people & these bad companies - The country will continue to move in the wrong direstion.

It seems like deja vu with this administration. Rush to war and rush to bailout.

As much as I think Mad Max is on a soapbox rant, I also believe he is correct.  America needs to discontinue their policy of saving the "victims".  Victims are made by government policy.  A free market is successful when it is allowed to regulate itself.  If traders make bad trades, it's on them.  If I get in financially over my head, I pay the consequences.

I'm rather getting tired of the piece by piece socialization of the United States.  When Barings went belly up due to improper practices and bad trading did the Queen rush in to subsidize them and save her bank?  Nope.  French didn't do it either and we're not talking millions, we're talking billions of dollars; sound familiar?

Make no mistake people, you are witnessing firsthand Bernanke and Paulson saving their butts and Congress doing so as well.  Oh, and by the way, Congress isn't filled with economists and the consultants they are relying upon are people trying to save face and those who stand to lose a butt-load of money (Buffet).

Take a breath Washington, this didn't happen overnight and it won't play out in the next two days...

Oh my god here they go again, these banks, these borrowers and the like need some tough love. Do not bail anyone out, if these banks go belly up, so be it survival of the fittest. Make a bad loan, take one for the investors and yourself. please do not reward terrible business practices with 700 billion in bailouts. Hell, give it to the VA so they can take care of the broken minds and bodies that are coming home from Iraq and Afganistan.

I don't like the tone that Mad Max took with this issue.

But he's right.

I THINK MAD MAX IS RIGHT ON!!!  IF YOU PLAY YOU MAY HAVE TO PAY.  IM SICK AND TIRED OF THE CRYING  AND HAND WRINGING.  HERE WE GO REWARDING  THE PROBLEM.  I SAY LET THE MARKET FORCES FIND THEIR WAY.   FOR THE LIFE OF ME I CANT SEE HOW BAILING AND PROPING UP UNSOUND, UNDISCIPLINED, GREEDY, AND UNPRINCIPALED WAYS OF DOING BUSINESS WILL LAST IN THE LONG RUN.  THIS BAILOUT IS A BANDAID AND SHORT SIGHTED.  THIS IS LIKE DOMINOES.  IT WILL JUST KEEP ON GOING.  LETS TAKE THE HIT NOW INSTEAD OF LATER.  AMERICA CAN GET THROUGH THIS WITH LEADERSHIP.  AND I DONT SEE ANY LEADERSHIP IN ALL THIS.  ONLY PANIC.  AND WHERE IS OUR LEADERSHIP?  IS ANYONE ASKING THE COMMON MAN WHAT HE THINKS?  

What i would like to hear in these hearing is this " me secretary,  if goldman went into chapter 11, what would you lose". With 700 billion allowed to be spent with little oversite there is bound to be corruption coming from self-interest. Look at the w/f/a from contractors in Iraq.  Personally i woud be better off with some type of intervention, but any use of public money should be used to the benefit of taxpayers who are the investors in the USA

You can't stop the rich from getting richer, even when they completely screw things up. They own Washington - and hence a foggy $0.7 Trillion gi'me pack (in a single weekend!?). (No wonder ol’ Buffet sneaks in...) The common man is nearly powerless - either choice(s) today result in the same (bought) decisions by the 'lawmakers'. Sadly, a revolution is needed or these obscenities will only get worse. ‘We the people’ will pay literally and figuratively for this mess for a long time regardless of actions taken – If bailed out, the pain will be lessened but lengthened. If not, the pain will be severe but short-lived.

What is the rush? It took years of lending money to people who had very little chance or ultimate desire to pay it back to get us to where we are today. Why do we,the taxpayers need to sign a blank check to Paulson and make it happen in a few days? It is time to pay the piper. I say the chips fall where they may....if my business fails the goverment will let it happen as they should. Why are a bunch of Wall Street crooks entitled to a safety net?

Frank Pucciarelli