@ Tom,

I have to agree with Big Daddy. Most of the people who you're calling screwed over actually got themselves into the situation with myopia and greed.

I have a blog (surprise, surprise, doesn't everyone?) and had a long rant about how no one takes responsibility anymore. All these people "trapped" in mortgages rush to victimhood, but most them got exactly what they signed for. They just didn't plan ahead.

ipickuppennies.blogspot.com/.../forget-respect-id-take-little.html

If our government wants to hand out $700 billion, it should be spent on our failing infrastructure.  Remodeling our old bridges, highways, and railways would create tons of jobs in construction and manufacturing.  Added bonus - we would be investing in AMERICA, not the corporate highrollers who got us all into this mess.

If I were Hank Paulson I would tell Barney Frank to go screw himself and resign as Sec. of the Treasury.  Who needs the self-serving and obviously political silliness occuring in these hearings from our elected officials.  Hank Paulson and Ben Bernake could have a real life rather than dealing with these idiots day after day.  We are in a crisis, Paulson and Bernake are not trying to grandstand for personal gain, but save the system and Congress is worried about executive compensation.  They are in a forest fire, looking at a single tree.

I agree with all of the above.  No bail out, Paulson is bluffing.  Let the chips fall.  If foreign investers get burned, too bad.  No one is going to bail me out either.

Whoe ever made the bad investment should pay the price. We each are responsible for what we do. NO money for a bail out...... maybe next time the  people that got greedy this time will no longer be in the picture, a little to much to hope for, but there is always hope.

And who will be getting this money, the people who were lied to (there own fault) and lost there house or the people that mister Bush lives for that are not from this country.  For a born again christan I can not understand how he can live with himself. And that is one who thinks religon is B. S.

i love this country, I was born on June 6 1944 while my father  was dieing on the beaches in France. What I feel for these people destroying my country is pitty

Paulson and Bernake are part of the reason that we're in this mess today.  Bernanke takes a great deal of pride on studying the great depression of '29.  However, he ignored the current situation that was developing during his tenure at the Fed.  He ignored shoddy and predatory lending practices in the banks that the Fed is supposed to oversee.  I think he let us all down.  Now he is drinking the koolaid and insisting that we have a $700 billion bailout with no oversight from the courts.  I thought that we were supposed to have something called a balance of power, where the judicial branch overlooks the other two branches to keep them from breaking laws or violating the constitution.  

He and Paulson were content to cherry pick which firms got saved and which ones didn't.  Their recent behavior and lack of oversight during the past few years which allowed this situation to grow into the current mess, make me distrustful of their competance and ability to administer any program in a fair manner.

The $700 B should subisidize lenders who offer new fixed rate loans at 0% to get people to purchase homes and autos.

Jim is right "They are in a forest fire, looking at a single tree." They think the one tree will save the woods...or so the story is being sold.

What a horrid waste of money - get ready for ~50% tax rates for middle America. So much for being taxed less in those golden years, use to be the justification for the pre-tax 401k's(delayed taxation)...

Why is this not on the front page of every newspaper in america [ the new other china town]

man you Americans... thanks for F*en up the last 8 years...