Taxpayers on the Hook: How to Make a Bad Bailout Better

Hoover did the same thing in 1931, bailing out big banks supposedly to save the system. It crashed anyway. All this does is get the Paulson and Bush cronies out of the disaster before the inevitable consequences hit everyone else. Besides, Paulson was saying just months ago everything was fine, so how good is his judgment?

Will the Sellers get bonuses if they can get a higher price than the real value?

1929 Crash because of lack of credit facilities.Hoover done it too late the damage still there allready.........Review history......and you will the answer......

No bailout and save the 700 billion for New Deal type programs to help us through the depression.

Currency was on the gold standard in 1929. Now we have Federal Reserve Notes. So if cash is in short supply, why doesn't the government print some money now and then pull it off the market when things get moving again?

Thebank that issued the mortgage should be required to restructure the loan. Shave 30 to 40 % off the loan principal, forgive all penalties assessed, re-issue the note at 5 1/2%, strech out the loan on a forty year amortization schedule, and have a performing asset on their books instead of a non-performing loan which would go into foreclosure. What would the bank do with the property anyway.

Another crisis? We are still looking for weapons of mass destruction.

I think the bailout money $700 billion shoud pay taxpayer debt off that way everyone wins, the banks get paid the taxpayer gets out of debt and the companies that made the mess get what they deserve!

All this bailouts are doing is encouraging bad behavior of the banks, and letting the taxpayer pay for their mistakes, just to allow the CEOs keep their McMansions and Maseratis that they bought with unfairly earned bonuses at the expense of the companies. And these bailouts will only prolong the inevitable collapse of the banking sector, just like putting a band-aid on a Hoover dam that's about to burst.

BAILOUT!!!!!!! I understand the reasons for this such bailout or can I say handout. But all I want to know is "What do I get"? I have always paid my mortgage and was never late, I never took out a big HELOC or second mortgage to pay off credit cards or buy a new car or go to The Virgin Islands. Maybe I should have, then they could help me stay in my house also. So, how do the market or Govt. award people like me for doing the right thing? Maybe I should get three months without having to pay my mortgage or something.

I have 60k that I owe to Citi and Capital One and 50k secured by my house that I borrowed from USAA. However, only about 14k is now covered by my place. All the money was borrowed to purchase financial assets that are almost worthless now. My credit score is 760 so I am flying under the radar. There are probably more people like me that have good credit scores who are going to go under.... I have written my Congressman and Senators trying to get the word out before they lock into this crazy bailout. I don't think the whole picture of this mess is known yet. We will see what happens....

If my neighbors are able to re-negotiate their mortgage and the value of their home is adjusted by a judge so they can afford their payments, what will happen to the value of my property. If I can't re-negotiate my rate and or price I paid for my home because I don't qualify for bankruptcy, I would still owe the mortgage company if I sell.

Shouldn't the banks come "clean" with all their bad assets before we decide how much we need? Everyone is claiming the cannot value these assets, and that sounds very fishy. It seems to me the banks/ financial institution know what garbage they are holding, and their assets should be audited before we commit any dollar amount.

Shouldn't the banks come "clean" with all their bad assets before we decide how much we need? Everyone is claiming the cannot value these assets, and that sounds very fishy. It seems to me the banks/ financial institution know what garbage they are holding, and their assets should be audited before we commit any dollar amount.

700B is less.. I would say double the amount and buy all the banks

No Bailout!!! This is not a guarantees solution and $700 billion is a lot of money to gamble with. Wall St already lost enough money gambling.

Okay, according to Forbes or whatever elitist magazine it is, there are 700 billionaires in the world. Cool. So if it is important to them that the world economy stays afloat then each one of them should just go to their Swiss bank accounts and use one billion of THEIR OWN ILL GOTTEN GAINS to Bail out WALL STREET, not the American Taxpayer. Just say "no" when the elite want to rape you. And if they persist in doing so, well then it is morally justified to annihilate those that are trying to destroy you...........

If you print out 1 trillion dollars in cash, we will be even more in debt.

Heck you think this Federal Financial Crisis is bad, I feel bad for those in New Jersey. I hear the pols there are real corrupt and the pension system is a ponzy scheme on the brink of doom. And the pension system just lost its shirt betting on Financials. Time to move if you have not done so already.

Let's take our time with this bailout. "Never get in a hurry for your money." Smart people don't jump when someone threatens them to hurry up, sign here, write the check. The economy isn't going to fall apart in one week. After all, it is a strong economy. Paulson says he's concerned about the US Taxpayer. Good, no money leaves this country. Foreigners who own our debt can wait for a settlement. They are the least of my concern. These companies who are reaching for the public dole are in essence, bankrupt. The bankruptcy courts should handle them. The courts can have a tool (bailout money) to help resolve their issues. This includes Bear-Stearns, Fannie and Freddie, AIG to name a few. Lehman Bros. is doing just that. The properties can then be handed over to the FHA or some other Government entity (repository) who guarantees home loans. I do not trust Bernanke or Paulson. There is to big a stake to hand a checkbook full of signed checks to them. (How many times have we been threatened to hurry up or we'll lose?) Charlie Brown Orangevale, Ca.