Biggest Bailout Ever: Did the Government Go Too Far?

This only defers the reaper waiting in the wings- the poor fools who win the election will have to either complete the socialization of the free market system or suffer a Zimbabwe style nightmare scenario of ongoing inflation as the real value of the dollar falls through the floor. When dollar value in the real world drops, stock prices rise, as do gold futures. Gold may dip, but will eventually rise to ridiculous levels. If nothing changes and this ongoing socialization of the free market continues, it could easily break 2k/oz as the real world value of the dollar continues to fall.

Scary to think that the Goldman Sachs folks were not going to get their bonuses. Thanks to Henry Paulson the crisis was averted.

No one is responsible for their own actions anymore, and that obviously goes for large companies. It is always someone else's fault, and Mommy & Daddy or Big Government will come in and make everything all better.

Our government fails us again. Let the market work! This last week makes Ron Paul look a true prophet...

Note bene: site is filtering posts rather carefully.

If they didn't do this, you would have a bigger problem than paying taxes.

What another great idea. Insure the money market funds so the investment bank casinos will have more money to loan out to corporate America at tax payer risk. Paulson continues to pander to his Wall Street buddies. Remember he sold $650 million worth of stock tax free. A perk from the government to take the job. We don't need a stock broker for a treasury secretary. We need a person that is free and clear from Wall Street bribes and directions on how to run the economy.

Did you hate it on the way up as well? You know, when you were making money?

why am i paying for the greed of the banks and stock holders? people this is NOT a good thing.. can I dumb MY debt into this pool too? the very rich get away with this - we pay for it

This bailout is the most disgusting form of market manipulation I've ever seen. Creating a taxpayer-funded company to take the crap off the balance sheets of banks that willingly assumed such risk is bordering on criminal. They are stealing taxpayer money to help fat cats in banks bolster their stock options. It's like Robin Hood in reverse. Taking over Fannie and Freddie made some sense as that helped homeowners, while wiping out the shareholders. However, this really doesn't. It simply burdens responsible taxpayers with the errors of the rich, greedy and stupid. Paulson said he was drawing a line in the sand with Lehman and that there would be no more bailouts. 3 days later, he decides to set up an entity to bail out all and sundry. If this were some emerging economy, the US would be rolling their eyes and complaining how the government was stifling the free market. Furthermore, if this suggestion was instigated by the head of an emerging market Treasury, who was formerly the head of one of the companies that would be directly bailed out by this, US pundits would be tut tutting at the level of corruption in such banana republic. But it's the U.S. so it's okay. This is a very sad day for the free markets.

great, my puts on financials had me perfectly positioned. thanks to these "free market" republicans,i'm toast. throw hundreds of billions at the crooks instead of letting them take thier oh so well deserved punishment. i sincerely hope every one of those two faced lying self proclaimed christians burn in hell.

many American tax payers helped cause this problem. Also the government has set up most of these bailouts as loans that will make a profit over time. Tax payers now own 78% of aig tax payers will now see 100% of the profits from fannie and freddie before equity shareholders will see anything MONEY WILL BE MADE BY AMERICAN TAXPAYERS Does anyone read the fine print??????

it looks like the government is working for Wall Street. This is not good for average people, there's no free money out there, Treasure keeps on pumping free money into the economy will mean, inflation will jump in the near future... things will get really expensive,

Unbelievable! Our government just keeps putting the taxpayers on the hook for everything! Does any politician believe someday we will actually need to pay our debts-our world will coming crashing down some day. Someone please tell me when our government received the constitutional authority to blow our money like this without our consent...all because they believe they know better than we the people!

Rubino (sp?) had it correct when he said something to the effect that we are witnessing a system that privatizes profits and socializes losses.

Unbelievable! Our government just keeps putting the taxpayers on the hook for everything! Does any politician believe someday we will actually need to pay our debts-our world will coming crashing down some day. Someone please tell me when our government received the constitutional authority to blow our money like this without our consent...all because they believe they know better than we the people!

What really gets me about this is that these firms engaged in shady financial instruments to make even more bonus money for their traders and executives. Then they laid off American workers and sent their jobs to India to make even more money. Now the chickens are coming home to roost and they want to dump their bad debt on the taxpayers. Are we a landfill for junk bonds and high risk mortgages? I say, let them burn! I suggest everyone write a letter to their congressional representatives and oppose another bailout. These finance companies did not ever consider the lives they destroyed by sending jobs to India or China. I think it’s time for them suffer as well.

We are paying now in taxes but if the stock market crashes who do you think is going to take the full impact of the financial woes.We will and thats will be worst then the percentage that taxes will go up. I much rather have the 3% spike in taxes then the the economy falling in to a depression then no one can pay there bills.Businesses will go under and the government bugdet will then be through the roof. Recovery for that will not be possible. We will then be just another third world country. That had and lost it. Bandaids is our only option hopefully we put extra tape on it

This will only delay the inevitable economic ruin of the nation. It's totally embarrassing to see this band aid approach being touted as a real solution to a systemic failure rooted in the moral bankruptcy of America.

Don't worry, the common tax payer won't be shouldering the burden like so many of you think. It will be the successful "rich" people who will have to pay for the mistakes of the "poor". Only the hardest working people who didn't screw up and get themselves into major debt will have to pay for the mistakes of the many. Welcome to communism my comrades!