There is something unseemly and undemocratic about these bank bailouts...

[kentuck]

Throughout the history of banks, they have never hesitated to stick it to the little guy. They would not hesitate to throw you out on the street if you did not make the payment on your home. They would not hesitate to garnish your wages or re-possess your car if you did not have the money on hand to make payments owed them. They have no qualms about charging 29% interest on their credit cards. If you can't pay it, then that is your problem. Sorry, dude!

Now, Bank of America tells us that they need $34 billion dollars more to continue business as usual. Wells Fargo needs another $14 billion. GMAC, lending arm of General Motors, needs another $11 billion. CitiGroup is only asking for $5 billion more. Morgan Stanley needs a couple of billion dollars. Regions Bank needs more bailout money. Yesterday, BofA stock rose 17%, Citigroup stock rose 16%, and Wells Fargo stock rose 15%. Life is good.

But, so far, we have heard nothing about re-instituting regulations on these banks. Are we to assume they will continue to do business as in the past but they will police themselves? They can return to the good old days when they screwed everybody else. They won't even leave a tip on the dresser...

There is something that doesn't add up here. The Democratic Party is bailing out the symbols of capitalism, which have been sworn enemies of everything our Party has stood for since the days of Andrew Jackson and the big banks...

[stillcool]

1. they are way too brazen..

and in your face about it all too. They're like the cat, and the government is like the mouse that cat is toying with.

[ixion]

2. nothing more than highway robbery, in my opinion

and I agree with you completely. Financial institutions are ruthless, yet want to be coddled by the same folks they extort money from.

It makes no sense. :crazy:

[EFerrari]

3. Meanwhile, no increase for SS pensioners, there is talk about cuts to Medicare

and Congress laughs when we ask for single payer.

And did you see, yesterday there was a report about the real AIG bonus numbers. It wasn't $164 million but closer to $450 million unless you count all of the incentives handed out in which case it was about a billion dollars.

If Congress continues down this road, there are going to be a lot of seats turning over in the midterms because people are still very, very angry.

[OhioChick]

4. Quote:

"If Congress continues down this road, there are going to be a lot of seats turning over in the midterms because people are still very, very angry."

I agree and it concerns me.

I completely agree with the OP.

[jwirr]

5. But who the hell are we going to turn them over to? We cannot let the

pugs back in either. It will all have to be done in the primaries and we saw how that works in CT. I think we need to have more citizens in the streets. That seems to be the only way we get to say anything.

[Democrats_win]

11. Yes, but if the Dems won't do anything, there is NO reason to vote.

A lot of people simply won't vote in 2010, including me. 2008 was a dream year for Dems and the Dems simply don't understand that. The honeymoon is over and divorce papers have been obtained.

[4_TN_TITANS]

13. I truly think that

the system is so corrupt, Club Congress so exclusive and closed off from the public, not to mention bought off - that the only real change that can come to this country is from revolution. So far, Obama's been playing by the Washington rule book that was pitched to him, but nothing significant is going to result from that. My 'hope' is that he is still sizing up the game and the players before he rips up their book and begins playing on his own court.

[closeupready]

16. I don't see that happening.

I see him, rather, compromising a little here, and little there, and voila, he'll end up just like all the others.

[EFerrari]

6. When I hear my mother tell me how she decides which of her meds to buy

and then listen to these arrogant bastards talking about millions and billions for the Wall Street vampires or even, when I hear how Richard Holbrooke wants to win the war against the Taliban with NIGHT F#CKING GOGGLES (which he's using as an excuse for the lasted bloated appropriation for our new quagmire in Afghanistan/Pakistan) I get about as angry as I ever have.

[closeupready]

17. Pukes will tell you that it's all her own fault, and then

they will search and reach for some kind of convoluted, tortured rationale to make it sound like it makes sense to blame your mother for her illness(es). Meanwhile, it doesn't matter, we are told, who is to blame for destroying the banks' balance sheets - if a bank is losing money, the taxpayer must step in and make sure they have all the money they need, for bonuses, parties, office renovations, etc. - no strings attached, no banker loses their job. And, further, without taxpayer bailouts, the world economy will collapse so fast it will make the Great Depression look like a picnic.

Den of thieves is what Congress is.

[closeupready]

15. And you know that dozens here and elsewhere will work to make that happen.

They deserve 100% to lose their seats.

[Amonester]

7. Perhaps they R writing checks that end up in bank accounts around...

the Capitol...

By looking at the obvious 'behaviors' of the Money Party these days, it could very well be it.

[Echo In Light]

8. Naomi Klein was on R.M. last night - looked like she even made RM a bit uncomfortable...

...she was so plain spoken about what a HUGE swindle this is, and the PR to gloss over it. Fucking amazing.

[blindpig]

9. Yer subject line is a masterpiece of understatement.

It is nothing less than wholesale robbery of the people with full collusion of the government.

[Junkdrawer]

10. The ruling elite is a small club with minor divisions...

The Oil Guys..

The Banking Guys...

Big Pharma...

Agribusiness...

AIPAC...

Bush/Cheney were backed primarily by the oil guys, and secondarily by the rest...

Obama/Biden are back primarily by the banking guys, and secondarily by the rest...

There is a discernible difference...just not all that much...

[bvar22]

12. !

NOW we have Your Children’s Money too !!!
And there is not a fucking thing you can do about it!
Now THIS is “Post-Partisanship” !
Better get used to it!!
Hahahahahahahahaha!

[LeFleur1]

14. What Would Happen

if we all just didn't pay our taxes? Would they put us all in jail?

I really believe our government is so corrupt it doesn't work any more.