Taken to Task: ‘Free Market’ Champions Go Begging for Bailouts (Reprise)

Free market and capitalism are terms that do not apply to the American economy. No company is too big to fail in a free market economy. Capitalism isn't built on political intervention and laws designed to gaurantee profits. It is transparent through open auditing by investors.Not the case in America.

Bailout is another term to render americans speechless so they don't complain that the real term for bailout means to transfer funds from the financally lowest people in America to the richest. Thats all it is. And until people like the occupy movement stop addressing the first line of defense (police) with terms like we are non-violent protesters. And pick yourselves up after being being beaten down and beat back the force thats completely outnumbered snf say we are here address our problems with you and stop stealing from the people' and filling your own portfolio. The problems will always exsist. Were you aware that the government pays themselves the Members of Congress and Senate/Governors who are in prison up to 2 million dollars a Month in pensions. That 24 million a year. They are in prison for a wide array of crimes' like fraud,bribery and using a political office for the advancement of themselves and one of these congressman recieves up to 266,000'00 for sitting in prison while we pay for him to sit there we feed him,cloth him,pay his electric and water usage without a dime coming out of his pension fund, This country makes me laugh. Only in america

Yes. Enough of using taxpayer money to bailout the banks, stock brokers, and bond traders. steve

I have never thought the Fed would bail me out if I got into trouble. How come the fat cats on Wall St get all the bail out money? If consumers are so important to the US economy then why are not they getting any bail out money? All we get is screwed.

Let them fail!!! THat is capitalism!!

There is NO free market.. for those of you who somehow think there is.. with subsidies and tariffs and trade deals.. ONLY children believe in free market, easter bunny, santa claus.. and the tooth fairy. The rest of the ADULT world knows better!

Right after Wall Street and the banks get their billions, the same critics now want the free market to work on its own, right after they get their next bail out They want absolutely no government regulation and no government help with the market (as long as the banks and Wall Street has their government fix). Wall Street complain if the market does not go up and are unhappy if the Fed takes action that does not help the market this particular week. This specific Fed action was designed to provide long term help for housing (by refinancing treasuries to longer term debt). Why? Washington (Congress) would rather fight and damage the president than solve our huge housing problems. Unfortunately, the economy will not recover until the housing crisis is over and the middle class has enough money to create some additional demand. Having large corporations sit on record profits, with a trillion dollars sitting overseas is not restoring the economy. We have, in fact a demand problem because we have moved jobs and profits overseas. Also, giving large corporations more special tax consideration will not fix the economy (as suggested by all our Republican presidential nominees). Does GE hire more US workers because they had excellent profits and paid no taxes last year? No, GE hires more workers, when they are needed, to meet demand. We have been trying to solve our lack of demand problems with supply side economics.

They want less regulations and they want bailouts so they can get their bonsues.

Wall Street looks at government as an avenue to manipulate to further increase profits. Of course, Wall Street firms must maintain the farce that they are for capitlism. They, like so many others, are all for government that helps them, regardless of its cost to others.

Blood is starting to boil under the surface in America... The warning signs are here. Many today are so far left behind, they don't care if the system collapses, it has already collapsed for them and they are done.... This will get ugly... Decision makers, beware, FOR THE PEOPLE, not FOR THE CORPORATION. Keep making decisions that only benefit the 1% and 70 % of the rest of us will remove your decision making power permanently. GO BACK AND READ THE FIRST PAGE OF THE--- DECLARATION of INDEPENDENCE.

Wall St. is going to throw around a lot of money in this election cycle. They don't care whether your Democrat or Republican, just whether they can get you to do what they want -- tax loopholes, subsidies, immunity from lawsuits and, based on this article, MAYBE MORE BAILOUTS. IF THEY GOT AWAY WITH IT THE FIRST TIME, THEY'LL TRY FOR MORE.

Oppose all politicians that prostitute themselves to Wall St. regardless of party.

Vote for America and against your own economic slavery.

wow ! what a masterpiece !!

yes all those greedy investors talk about capitalism and free market when good time is around. as soon as things start to fall apart for their excessive greed, they turn to corporate welfare program for free food-stamps.

no wonder why bernanke was treated like god when he used public money to bail out the private investment banks. it was the free money printing machine of bernanke that artificially propped up wall street since the fall of lehman brothers. without the treasonous action of bernanke dow would be around 6000 level.

Author proves he knows nothing about Libertarians. Libertarians despise the Fed and want to dismantle the Fed.

No reason to get mad about this. But it is time to understand that the primary objective of our friends on Wall Street is to make sure that they get maximum returns for no risk and no restrictions.

If you don't like this, then we are coming up on an election that will be an important one. Get involved.

Robert... All economic systems are attempts to serve the "greater good". None are perfect, and some fail spectacularly. The capitalists of my father's generation mostly understood though, that those systems that give us the greatest freedom, require the greatest sense of responsibility. This seems to be forgotten among our current crop of economic overlords.

Free Market Fakers. Classic term. Love it.

Right on Aaron! Thumbs way up! Next week isn't going to be any better. I predict more doom and gloom! mmm mmm mmm!

These guys are only about greed. They don’t care about having a free market for all, just what will make more mountains of cash for them.

If only I had a lobbyist too, so I could participate in the best gov't money can buy.

aaron, right on.