I wasn't impacted by this scam but I do agree that the govt should not have to pay Bernie's clients for their lost.  If the shoe was on the other foot, and the clients made alot of money, they wouldn't want the govt in their business.  So why should the govt get into their business because they took a chance and lost.  If they want restitution, these clients should sue the Madoff estate.  He is the one that took their money, not the govt.

"  The investors were greedy.  They violated the number one rule of investing - DIVERSIFICATION - which means spreading your money across different investments and sectors  - NOT to put all your money into one investment.  We, the taxpayers should bail out these people.  No thanks.  "

-  http://www.FinancialNews.TV

Get over it. You took the risk for higher then normal gain and you lost. Government never really cares about you unless it means more taxes and votes.   But remember the situation you are in during in the next election cycles (2010/2012).  

The SEC may or may not be responsible for not uncovereing the Madoff fraud and even if it was; Madoff investors should have acted much more cautiously with their funds but most of them were simply greedy and threw caution to the wind.

However; the SEC is responsible for not responding to the financial melt down primarily caused by the sub prime mortgage industry, banks and Wall Street. They should have seen it coming and they probably did as did many in the government and Wall Street and THEY DID NOTHING TO STOP IT causing many hard working prudent and carefull average investors to loose a large chunk of their modest retirement investments or loose everything. It may not be possible to sue them but I think it should be. It should however be possible to put many of those responsible in prison or at the very the least for them to lose their jobs or careers and face financial ruin.The only thing our government has done to those most responsible is reward them with trilions in bail out funds belonging to the very people they burned.

In 1776 the British were considered to big to fail and an angry group of revolutionary Americans stuck it to them. It's time for another Revolution against our despotic and stupid "leaders" Democrats included.

Got a problem with Madoff?  Go to the source.  Sue Madoff, his family and employees until they have nothing, nothing, nothing!  Leave them naked in the street (Wall, that is!).  Beat up on those who participated and profited.

Then, check out your investing methodology.  If a fund was handling your money, go after the fund manager.

As JFK noted, rember the Bushies in November.

The people put their money in investments not insured savings accounts.  They did this because they believed they could make a higher than normal return.  In other words they took a risk, they lost.

It is the way it is in a free market economy.  Sometimes you win, sometimes you loose.  The Government was not a player in the game.

It's a good thing that you people were not the judge.  Madoff would have received an  award instead of 150 years.

I don't remember just who it was that said you don't put all your financial eggs in one basket.  If you do you are certain to have problems with that basket.  This is not something that I have only heard from one person, it is how each financial manager I have ever talked to has talked.  Given this advice I don’t have much sympathy for all the people who let greed take over for common sense and lost all they had to a not so common swindler.

Diane Pontes, it is not that we do not judge and accuse Madoff or wrong doing and he should pay for what he's done, but HE should pay not the government with taxpayers' money. Investment = risk. Madoff investors took a risk of loosing or gaining, in this case loosing, well said R D Royall. Sentencing Madoff with 150 years in prison it is not enough and it will remain a joke at the financial system as long as those in charge with enforcing the laws and rules are still free and unpunished. It is impossible for ONE person to do all of this without raising doubts and questions to anyone. It will happen again if nothing is done to enforce responsibility on all the factors involved in such a system from funds and investments managers, to controllers, government and legislators.

Taxpayers have lost money too.  Maybe not the same as this scandal, but we shouldn't have to pay for it.  When we invest in something that can get higher returns and has no guarantee, it is exactly that, a risk..  Get over it and move on.  If the government steps in and pays people back, it is simply you and me paying people back.  That's not right.  If they pay them back, then I want my 40% I lost last year too.  It's not possible to compensate everyone.  That's not how the system works.