Financial crisis shows signs of spreading: Weigh in

Where can we see the details of the bailout plan? Are we as little middle school kids (that how the gov. treats us) allowed to see the plan so we can see where our money is going? Why we can’t vote on it in this technology era it wouldn’t be too hard to set up a network that all 50 states can vote from!

We keep hearing credit crunch and borrowing. Have we destroyed the economy by not learning how to save first and then purchase?

Lots of white-collar thieves have gotten rich off those high risk loans and even more will after the bailout. Wall Street bankers have intentionally shut down credit to scare the hell out of everyone. If it weren't for the bailout potential, there WOULD be credit available right now. After all, that's how banks make money; how long do you think they would keep their primary revenue stream shut down were they not pressuring the congress for even more gravy.

For all of you with any money left, be aware of the next expected mergers so that you can get in on the ground floor and make some BIG bucks.

Watch for these consolidations later in 2008:

1.) Hale Business Systems, Mary Kay Cosmetics, Fuller Brush, and W. R. Grace Co. Will merge and become: Hale, Mary, Fuller, Grace.

2.) PolygramRecords, Warner Bros., and ZestaCrackers join forces and become:
Poly, Warner Cracker.

3.) 3M will merge with Goodyear and become:
MMMGood.

4. ZippoManufacturing, AudiMotors, Dofasco, and Dakota Mining will merge and be come:
ZipAudiDoDa.

5. FedEx is expected to join its competitor, UPS, and become:
FedUP.

6. Fairchild Electronics and Honeywell Computers will become:
Fairwell Honeychild.

7. Grey Poupon and Docker Pants are expected to become: PouponPants.

8. Knotts Berry Farm and the National Organization of Women will become:
Knott NOW!

And finally....

9. Victoria 's Secret and Smith & Wesson will merge under the new name:
TittyTittyBangBang

I would hate to wake up one morning only to find out that Sara was President,, I think I would go back to bed a hope it was a bad dream
Janet from N. C.

I like most citizens, want to see the government lessen their spending and it infuriates me that they are adding Billions of dollars of incentives to the 700 billion bill that congress is asked to pass. The government can not pay for bills it has and then we borrow more money to add more.

I hope the American people will not let the media elect the next president, we are smart enough to make our own assessments
without the media dissecting every word spoken my our candidates.
My the way I am still routing for the pit bull with lipstick

Whats with Palin's wink 2 times she winked when she was talking , is that the cutsie factor ringing in ? she did a pretty good job , but some of her actions drive me nuts to much good old girl stuff. V Curry Lakeview, Or.

Is anyone being held responsible for the bailout or are all these Wall Street fatcats walking away scott free? I don't see anyone being held responsible for it. They say there will be a committee to "keep an eye on" these execs and CEO's to make sure they are not taking million dollar bonuses, etc., but I want to know if anyone is going to be brought up on charges for this thievery.

The crisis is only to affect the people who have money or think they have money..a working person, like myself, dosen't not have health insurance, live week to week on paycheck...don't have credit cards, couldnl't get a loan because couldn't make the payments, what will it do for us...I paid for my house...I worked three jobs to do it..to bale the people out, they need money, not loans...

What’s up with our elected officials? They take advantage of a bad situation and pretend to be the HERO. This is what’s in the BAILOUT BILL that we just can’t do with out. Tell me why should the average citizen should be happy with this if we have a problem with saving the financial industry?

Source: San Francisco Chronicle
Senators quietly tucked a number of earmarks into the tax package of the 451-page bill that was passed Wednesday night and is expected to be put to a vote in the House today: a $2 million tax benefit for makers of wooden arrows for children; a $100 million tax break to benefit auto racetrack owners; $192 million in rebates on excise taxes for the Puerto Rican and Virgin Islands rum industry; $148 million in tax relief for U.S. wool fabric producers; and a $49 million tax benefit for fishermen and other plaintiffs who sued over the 1989 tanker Exxon Valdez spill.

In Meridian Mississippi they have cut the budget so much that they not only have had to stop repairing roads and things like that, they have had to release prisoners from jail. Yesterday they let many of the prisoners out of jail. Also, our sherriff said on tv last night that if we call they will not be able to respond to every call. What a scary feeling.

8 yrs. ago we were all gung ho on war , war cost money! in the meantime the clinton administration before this promised eveyone the american dream apple pie and chevrolet in every driveway and home for everybody whether we could afford it or not!wake up america it wasn't the war that put us here! think! we want instant gratification and are mad because we can't have it!!

Like many others, I lost my home due to the greed and deceptive practices of my mortgage company. I now live in an apartment. What did my goverment do for me ? The're working on a plan to bail out the same peolpe who put us here. Troy , tyler tx

Professionalism vs Street Lingo
Biden speaks to the heart/Palin speaks to the streets

Biden Wins, Palin Doesn't Lose

Biden won because he had good points on McCain's maverickness, McCain and the Iraq war, Cheney and the constitution, his personal tragedy, and his personal story of humble beginnings and relative comfort.

Palin's folksiness was to transparent as her jokes that were not spontaneous and connected to the discussion.

Palin still does not give one the impression that she can think. This is too reminiscent in many Americans minds, including my own.

Professionalism vs Street Lingo
Biden speaks to the heart/Palin speaks to the streets

I don't know if the rest of America was cringing when Palin used the terms- "Dude","Lame" and "Shoutout". This is the Federal Government. We already have one illiterate President we don't need another speaking or representing this country. Does she really believe in Education or rather Speaking Correct English while debating?

I didn't know that a Joe six-pack hockey Mom was a requirement for Vice President and future President since John McCann does have cancer.

while i do not support rewarding the incompetent the bail out bill might be inevitable. if that is the case, i want a tax deduction for my portion of the 700B bail out. i would take it under the category charitable deductions.

also, is Harvard, Yale or any other university or college going to offer a Masters or PhD curriculum in Mismanagement? if so i know where they can get the expert instructors.

COULD YOU PLEASE EXPLAIN THE PORK PART:

KIDS WOODEN ARROWS $6m

Stop them now. ( Senate / Congres) They put us in this mess and we think that they will help us get out of it. Come on, get real. Every one of them now have an agenda.

Just take$700 billion and divide between all the working tax payers. We will then have money to save, invest, pay off mortagages, and kick start the economy by purchasing big ticket items.

I wonder if this wasn't the age of the media would the crisis be the same? When did the banks freeze credit? Why do we now NEED the bailout bill? According to the media, we didn't need it when it only addressed Wall Street. It was the media reporting that the President was using scare tactics. Then the bill grows in the House to include Pork that the Representatives don't want to have to answer to in the future and does not pass the bill. All of a sudden, according to the media, we are in crisis: "Employers won't be able to make their payroll AT THE END of the WEEK" (that was fast). Then the media explains to us STUPID people, that we must have this plan or their won't be any credit. ETC, ETC, ETC

We do need to do something, just don't try to tell me that we have to do all 451 pages of it!!!!!!

Sarah Palin is a fake from the time she start speeking it was like a robot reading a script. Instead of answering the questions she kept speeking in the tone of a planned speech. SARAH PALIN IS A FAKE.

The Mavericks bite the dust! (Insert song here)

Did anyone understand what Sarah Palin meant with her response to Biden when she said she believed the U.S. would be "waiving the white flag of surrender" in Iraq..., and went on to say "...and the Iraqis and Talibani also, in working with us..." What did she mean? Did she mean the Iraqi and the Afganistani working with us? Or the Iraqi and the Pakistani working with us? Someone inform me please, is the "Talibani" now working with the U.S.? IS THIS A GAFFE OR NOT? If it is, why is it being overlooked in the analysis of the debate? I have seen this part of the debate played over and over and no one has mentioned it.

What no one is talking about is that congress is to blame for the current situation as much as the banks and the people. It was Bill Clinton and congress who ordered banks to make loans to people who they knew could not afford them. I remember banks saying no to high risk groups and I remember the race card being played on the banks. Biden was there. He is old school. Palin may be part of a team that supports Bush ideas, but she is new blood. Biden has had his chance in the past and see what it has gotten us. Do we really want more?

What did you expect? Our leadership cannot pass any legislations without earmarks. Yet, people keep voting the back in office. Let's clean house on Wall Street and Captiol Hill. Please encourage a no vote on the BailOut and vote no to reelect every incumbant.

Earmarks are not an economic bail out.

It would have been a great debate if Sara Palin would have answered the questions instand of doing what she's good at ignoring the question and saying what she wants to.Also she said there you go again bringing up the past pointing fingers well history can repeat itself if your not careful.All Joe Biden was saying is what are you and John Mccain going to do different from The George Bush disaster did Sara Palin answer it no.It one point we were wondering just what she was saying and what does the term Joe six pack and Soccer mom have to do with an average american.I don't know about alaska but not every main steam american is at a soccer game or heading to the liquor to get a six pack .Maybe we should do to forget about the mess Bush and his friend Mccain has gotten us into.

How dare Congress add port to this "bailout" bill? Do we have a crisis or don't we?

Through all of the mergers one question keeps popping into my head, "What will the PGA do?" All of their sponsors are going away!!!

For real though, I am truly torn about the bailout. I understand that the credit market is "freezing" and it is getting harder for the average citizen to get a loan but I also believe that we live and die by capitalism and there has to be repercussions for bad decisions. I know that the bailout will not stop bad decisions by banks, for example on the local news here a person who is employed had a home equity loan canceled. This person was in good standing but yet the bank yanked their loan. That to me just shows that we may be going down the wrong road giving money to the banks.

I think Calif should ask Old Mexico for the loan since they are sending millions down there every week . Why should US taxpayers take on this burden too?

Instead of all the concern about wether the "Bailout Bill" will pass or not why not discuss all the junk that they have added to it. How did a 3 page bill get to be 450 pages?? Another topic would be what happened to all of the PMI Insurance?? David , Santa Rosa CA

If the unemployment report held steady at 6.1% from the last one, how is it that there are more jobs lost? Please help me understand the math?

We do not have any business bailing these people out. Let them fail and prosecute them for their crimes, just like the ordinary citizen would be prosecuted. Why should the taxpayer pick this one up when we get nothing, absolutely nothing out of it. I am so against this bailout. These people have sold our country out, GET RID OF ALL OF THEM.

I can't believe that no one is talking about all the sweeteners or earmarks that were added to the bailout plan. I hope that it doesn't pass as it should be a straight forward bill with no add ins. We, the tax payers, will need teeth whitener after eating all these sweeteners. We are just giving institutions a free pass on all their poor investment strategies. It would be great if the word was gotten out there about the details that make this a bad plan for the American people. As far as I know money is built in there for research and development as well as charities. Please clear the air of the deeper issues with this bill.

Once again Washington has broken their promise. They promised that there would be NO earmarks or add ons to the bailout. I would like to ask Pelosi what the heck is the rush. This bill needs hearing, broad public comment, outside oversight,honest accountin by any companies that are helped by our tax money. Maybe then we would know why 700 billon dollars is needed. I did not see (but of course since this bill has not been open to public scrutiny I'm just guessing) a repeal of the Glass-Stegall Act. I also think we should tax anyone who plays in the speculation securities and derivatives. That would raise the money to pay for the bailout. Why have I not heard of making speculators have more of their money to cover their margins?? What is in this bailout to keep Banks from investing in high risk activities,how are we going to ensure that Banks are meeting proper capital standards. Why is Washington even considering having the FDIC raise it's limits, it's already on shaky grounds. Shore it up then raise limits. Thanks for listening . susan

By the way, who are we borrowing all this money from since we are as a country going further into debt!

Joe Biden wins big,Sara Palin mentally didn't show up

I started to feel sorry for the moderator it was like Sara Palin didn't hear her or was ignoring her i wasn't sure? Or wait that's right Sara Palin had her script how could she veer off it .Mccain should have informed her that there was going to be questions.

The VP Debate.
I have to really laugh at the Republicans, they were all so afraid that Sara Palin would stumble and fall because of all the already horrible interviews and many of the comments she has made. If the Republicans were afraid that Palin would embarrass herself because of prior interviews and a horrible track record, what will happen if they win?

I wish there were ctrl+alt+del buttons for Wall street...I've never seen the markets drop the way they have. I think Obama's shows strength during this "economic Pearl Harbor"

It would seem we are in some sense bailing out the world as our market success or failure determines their success or failure. Lets just worry about America and our own issues. I'm sure giving away money the way we do doesn't help our debt and what about the war. We could use those funds in our country for sure. I see more disabled vets with lack of benefits then their should be.

Terer is something that I do not reaally understand. Wall Street is suppossed to be tanking, yet people that supposed to be knowledgeble in the area of finance are buying, i.e Warren Buffet, Wells Fargo, Citi Corp etc. Do they know something that the rest of the world does not?

Sarah Palin did great in the debate against Joe Biden. Biden did not look into the audience, looked off to the left, scratched his nose, showed his pearly whites big time when she got under his skin. And he did tell false information about saying Obama was not qualified to be President and that he said earlier he would not V.P. Palin was very good, looked professional and was very confident. Biden is not VP material, when he ran for President, he never got out of Iowa, only got 9,000 votes there.

COME ON AMERICA–VOTE THE MCCAIN-PALIN TICKET, OR WE WILL SEE OURSELVES IN ONE HECK OF A MESS?

Escaping notation is this fact: NOT ONE ITEM IN ANY OF THESE BAILOUT BILLS WILL FORCE BANKS TO LEND MONEY TO ORDINARY AMERICANS FOR STUDENT LOANS, MORTGAGES OR AUTOS. NOT ONE THING! This thing might free up $$ for banks to lend to each other but that is about it. Examine this: so many americans have been out of work, some for over a year. What do you think their credit scores are??? Many other americans THINK their credit is fine, only to find zombie debt or inaccuracies once they get turned down for a loan or go get a free copy. Again, credit score sucks. Lastly, those with "excellent" credit find that the criteria that deemed them excellent has been revamped. They are excellent no longer!
Congress sold us out with that Credit Reform Act years ago. The American public got a free credit report but no real protections. The corporations are always right; consumer always wrong. Big hassle to correct things. Items reported to 3 different bureaus. Records trying to be re-created from 7 to 10 years ago! etc., etc. Until Congress castrates the 800 lb. Corporate/Credit Gorilla, consumers have nothing, and that includes any piece of this latest bailout package!!!

I have heard it all, but can not believe that our congress, who is suppose to be getting a 700 billion bailout bill passed to fix the
failing money markets and such, would ask us to support any
thing in the bill other then funds to stabilize the economy. What
is more important?? Restoring the ecomony, or these "Pork
Barrel" items that everyone is talking about. If congress would
just get the funds to restore the financial markets, it would
problably cost less then 700 billion......

Re: Tom Bacon's comment.
Bill Clinton may have played a part in the de-regulation, to what extent I don't know. However, Bill was long out of office when this housing crisis happened. This was all on GWB. GWB's economy was on the ropes during that first recession (and yes, it was a recession as felt by Main St). Idiot George knew that the ONLY thing keeping the economy afloat was housing. Whose interest was it to keep that $$maker going? GWB & his Repug buddies! Now, I am not saying that the Dems did not make hay. That became the perfect time for them to allow unqualified minorities to purchase homes. Greenspan aided the operation by lower interest rates; banks got creative, builders' mortgage companies packaged every type of loan they could. However, Repugs forget they have GWB on tape saying to the minorities that he was gonna make it possible to "get them some homes" - ah, the inconvenient tape machine....So, bottom line was GWB's folks saw this coming, did nothing to stop it cuz they would have gone down in flames. Or, they did not see it coming & it overtook them. Back to GWB & Repug politics. Either Incompetent or Deceitful.

is it possible the finanical institution are freezing credit on purpose to force congress to pass the bill so they can be rewarded for bad decisions and dump their bad loans on the taxpayer. hmmm i wonder

I'm insulted that the only way Palin and McCain think that a woman could hold such a position in our country is to be cutesy and wink, and speak to us like we are all 2nd graders. Women can hold such positions and will, but her demeanor is going backwards......does she need to act so cute and flurtacious to get ahead?? Isn't this sickening to anybody else but me? And why, some American women, are you buying into this?....it is making the women who are gushing over "Sarah" seem just as ignorant as she is. Get a grip. I'm embarrased for her and women who think she is so, "cute". She certainly doesn't represent me, and I am middle American, and I am a woman. It would be an insult to be compared to her. Grow up ladies, vote for someone who can handle the problems and concerns we all have right now. Don't vote for someone just because she's nice and you would love to talk to her while getting your nails done......Heaven help us.

i submitted a 10 point plan that would solve most of the problems our country suffers with today to my representives and speaker of the house, and several members in congress. never got a reply. guess i dont have enough money or political power for them tro care about an averahe citizen with a good plan, not a pork filled bailout they are trying to stuff down our throat. i am finding it hard to swallow. i guess they think we will follow them blindly like the pied pieper. they are wrong and should be recalled if they vote for the bill in its present form.

"Behind every Great Man is a Great Woman"
McCain / Palin

Good morning.
For the last few weeks, I have been avidly watching Fox News and a couple of other networks and listening to the financial experts, political experts, congressmen, etc., posturing their informational data and forecasting the "what-ifs" in referencing to the "bail-out".
With these experts and panlists weighing in on the terrible situation(s) that "Main Street" America businesses will have to endure. I have heard our local businesses will not be able to meet payroll, our local banks will fail, and the other negative repercussions local communities will be forced to face.
Ok....if this is the case.....why haven't any of the networks INTERVIEWED via TV or TELEPHONE any of these business owners!!!
I've heard the Sonic Corporation will not be able (or are currently not able) to build additional restaurants b/c the credit lines have "tightened". This is NOT an example of a business failing!!!
Sonic Corp. restaurants are FRANCHISED!!! In many franchise companies, owners are REQUIRED BY the home corp. to open additional restaurants based on a myriad of factors.
Back to the main issue--WHERE ARE THE BUSINESS OWNERS OF MAIN STREET AMERICA????? It doesn't seem as though the media networks are interested in speaking/interviewing with any of these business owners!!!
This is very interesting-don't you think? Perhaps if these business owners were interviewed on TV saying their businesses are facing these potential situations, viewers may take Washington's "the sky is falling" more seriously!
Thank you.

who is the blame? actually congress started the finanical problems when they allowed finanical institutions to charge high interest rates on credit cards and other revolving charge accounts. they can charge up to 30% if your credit score changes. it happened to me never missed a payment always paid more then mim. but my interest went fron 12% to 27% without notice. also min. payments were increased because of congress. what ever happened to congressional investigations in the credit card industry.

I would like to know who is responsible for your debt?

Think about it...
I am certainly responsible for my debt and my depth of indebtedness.

The Government is saying that "WE" can not live without the current financial entities who have benefited by the Government's incentives of loaning money to people who probably could not pay and have little or no vested interest in seeing the loan through to its completion (no down payment and to people who have not yet learned how to live on less than they make and save some of the money that they earn for a down payment.)

Right NOW, there are plenty of banks which are still loaning money and those banks are the ones who have not lent money to unqualified borrowers.

Right NOW, there are plenty of car companies that will lend the money to a qualified borrower.
(But not to someone who is way upside down on their car debt).

Government intervention means that any recession will take longer for the nation to heal and finally recover from a recession.

This is going to be another Katrina clean up by the government.

Bush making an announcement about the sky falling upon the financial markets simply made the situation worse than it had to be.

Banks will heal or be bought out just like the markets are showing now. They have too many people making regular payments to really be insolvent.

ok, so lets Loan them 700 Billion dollars so they can feel free to loan other banks money for operations and get the thing under control.
NOT give it to them!
NOT buy their bad debts!
It is certainly at least partly their fault.

My available credit is gone! My high credit score is gone! My bank is Gone! Can we see more shots of Robin in that dress?

this morning you were talking about California and their financial situation. I then heard that Marriott Intl would have to lay off 20-30,000 employees. I own a large portion of Marriott stock and would appreciate if you would review this as I didn't hear all the information.

Thanks,
Renee

why!!! only when there is an election we hear about all the problems facing the country. if congress worked as hard in the last 4 years as they are now on the bailout, maybe we would not have the problems we have now. the mentality of you vote for my bill i will vote for your bill even if it is a bad bill is rediculous but is done all the time. maybe we need to change congress to only one party called the peoples party. a two party system has never worked well. to much infighting. if they were getting paid on how much is accomplished in congress they would be poor

Speaking of Credit Cards and the term "Spent like drunken sailors." Can you address the fact that credit card companies have consistently hammered the public not only with predatory lending, "the practice of a lender deceptively convincing borrowers to agree to unfair and abusive loan terms, or systematically violating those terms in ways that make it difficult for the borrower to defend against," but the fact that credit card companies write into the fine print that they can change the terms of the interest rate; or usury depending on your beliefs; when it suits them, a rate that is significantly in excess of the market rate.

When will you speak up about Credit Cardholders’ Bill of Rights?
-Protects cardholders against arbitrary interest rate increases
-Prevents cardholders who pay on time from being unfairly penalized
-Protects cardholders from due date gimmicks
-Shields cardholders from misleading terms
-Empowers cardholders to set limits on their credit
-Requires card companies to fairly credit and allocate payments
-Prohibits card companies from imposing excessive fees on cardholders
-Prevents card companies from giving subprime credit cards to people who can’t afford them
-Requires Congress to provide better oversight of the credit card industry
-Contains NO rate caps, fee setting, or price controls

American’s may have spent like drunken sailors; however it was at the urging of President Bush in 2006, “and I encourage you all to go shopping more.” Our whole economy is based on spend, spend, spend, be a good consumer and spend MORE! Well now we are realizing that our economy cannot sustain the “consume more” policy of the Bush administration. I feel like the American public wants a fundamental change on the direction of our economy, but also the public sees that this consumer lifestyle cannot be supported in the long run in terms of the environment. So while the public is at fault for taking on more then they can pay for, it is also the fault of the government who supported this policy until it collapsed.

The mortgage crisis is the root of the problem. So, why are we bailing out banks and not home owners? Use that $700 billion to bail out people's primary resident if they bought in the last 5 years and their tax returns show they can't really afford a mortgage that size.

This way we keep people in their homes and banks to fail because the mortgages are good.

We have become a nation of spenders and not savers. Why is our government willing to spend billions of dollars that we DO NOT have? We are going to be borrowing this money from other countries. Let's suck it up and learn how to become fiscally responsible.

A bailout is not the answer!

I Dont understand whats so hard for our politicians to understand. If your constituants say no then you vote no. We,d be better off taking 700 billion and using it to build roads,bridges,wind farms, dams etc. how many people would that benefit.

Why are the state governments so stupid? When they have alot of money coming in, they spend, spend, spend. Yet when we have a downturn in the economy, they cry about having to cut programs and projects. Why are the state's not saving money instead of always spending it foolishly?

http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-93748

http://www.capturecincinnati.com/photo/116749

to me, this picture tells many stories of lifetimes, dreams, family and the evolution of an economic way of life. this art, it is so layered with thoughts. the american dream of a father/mother wanting to provide a better life for their children. the division of wealth and power, poverty... celebrating "labor day" when jobs are being outsourced to other countries, for their cheaper labor, world trade, (is it really fair trade?), economics... what about "made in the usa?" buying usa made (remember when wal-mart sold only usa products)... our farms disappearing... I had an elderly man, an old farmer ask me what i thought it was going to take to turn the economy around, (sly guy was trying to see who i was going to vote for!) i told him that i thought no president can do it, i told him it was people that had to do it, that we needed to go back when communities/towns depended on and helped each other, growing, buying, producing locally, to reexamine what the real american dream is, what a family is. he smiled.... (i also told him i'd like to meet the guy who invented the pay scale and kick him! he laughed...).... i do not believe tax-payers of mid to low income should have to bail out wall street and the people that profited from stocks... we are already over-burdened, tired... i was self-employed for thirty years, no stocks for retirement, i received a brain injury from an accident, and now my wife works for our income,, ( i worked over 60+ hours a week to manage our household) which she had a hard job raising our children when they were little..., the poor, low-income, to mid-income families have not profited, as much as the people that have/had money to gamble with,, and did profit from the game of stocks,, it's gambling like any other chance game.. to raise tax on the wealthy makes sense to me,, since they were the ones to really play at the market of chance, the stock market.. they were the ones able to put money in and sell, and profit, as if it was also a business, no one would bail my business out if i failed.. in a way, a metaphor,, to have a slum landlord for years making rent profit from a sub-standard housing that has been paid for, only to rehab it, to kick out the one who should have benefited from the renewal, the poor person, elderly, that lived there for many years, paying on that dwelling then to try to find a place to live, because now it is trendy to live in a certain area. not that i am against rehabbing a community,, but that is a key word, a community, of mixed diversity. helping one and another,, sharing wealth, compassion, charity... I believe if we were more concerned with our own local economics of life, we would not be in such a mess. people need to realize to live within their own ecological needs.. we have grown so, so accustom to acsesses, that one does not no how to live with little.. so much panic,,, over what, big companies that exploit the poor,, we use to pay,,lets say $25 for a pair of shoes that were made in US by a person making $10 an hour, yet that job was sent overseas where the company now maybe pays the worker $10 a month, stock-holders profit, workers slave, world econmics do not work... it is still a wrong type of system, the rich get richer, the poor turn the wheels ... is it the reason for so much backlash from foreign countries? they feel our capitalism is our religion, the way we take advantage of a culture that was living within it's own ways and means... We need to rexamine how a comunity of life is.... we need to live within our basic eclogical needs, to be a comunity that grows, produces and purchases locally and responsibility... indignious nations have done this for centuries, living as a family.. to live within what is needed,, and to share what is left....doesn't the president even think that bailing these companies will make things even worse for the taxpayer? has he taken in consideration all the losses that will be filled on IRS forms that americans have been hit with by the damages of storms across the US?? Bush wants to give the money with no restrictions saying some companies will not take part of it then?? boo-hoo george.... and mccain wants to post-pone the debate because of the crisis, how many "hours" will it take , my gawd... move it to washington then,, i want to hear what these two candiates have to say,, more than the "attack" ads... art by artist "Swoon"

I can't believe that journalist rated Governor Palin's debate a success using terms like "Joe Six Pack", "Here we go Joe" & "Soccer mom".
This was a debate in front of millions of viewers. Can you image how the U.S. would look in front a U.N. Convention with all the world leaders. If you're going to play the game at least learn the lingo.

POLLY THE PARROT PALIN DOES IT AGAIN!

SHE IS SO UNAWARE OF THE WORLD AROUND HER. SHE STATED THAT SHE MAY NOT ANSWER THE WAY THE MODERATOR WANTED HER TO BECAUSE SHE KNEW NOTHING ABOUT MOST OF THE QUESTIONS ASKED. SHE STUCK TO THE SCRIPT SHE WAS GIVEN. AMERICA NEEDS TO WAKE UP, THIS LADY IS ONE "STROKE AWAY FROM BEING THE PRES. OF U.S" HER CUTE LITTLE NERVOUS TICK (THE WINK) DOESNT MAKE HER QUALIFIED TO BE VICE PRESIDENT (PRESIDENT). POLLY NEEDS A CRACKER AND TO LEARN A FEW OTHER WORDS BESIDES MAVERICK AND HOCKEY MOM. BIDEN DID VERY WELL.

I say California doesn't get a single penny! They made their mess, let THEM get out of it! Why don't they take some of the BILLIONS from Hollywood actors, especially Barbara Streisand and pay for it? Ohhh, yea Barbara Streisand is such a good person, I forgot. BS. She raises MILLIONS for Democrats...why can't she raise money for the state that harbors her idiocy then?

IF YOU WANT TO HELP AMERICA, TAKE THE 700 BILLION AND GIVE IT EQUALLY TO ANYONE WHO WORKS 32 HRS OR MORE A WEEK AND MAKES LESS THAN 50,000. A YEAR...

Potiticians are like 2 sides of a coin ... or rather heads we win tails the people loose.
Why is it that only WAR is a solution .. either Iraq, Afghanistan and to enter to our sorrows know they talk about Pakistan ans Iran...

Attn:!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Everyone has the debate synopsis totally incorrect.!
If I wanted a cheerleader, I would ask my nieces to bring in the school squad. Sara Palin could not answer the questions nor the charges brought to her because she does not have the knowhow nor the experience to answer questions, put forth plans nor have the objectivity one should have running for the VP of this country. All she did last night was to avoid the questions and twist her misguided answers to the rederict she has used throughtout her short time running with Senator McCain. She had no knowledge and what she had were incorrect, More lies just like her acceptance speech weeks ago. She should have brought her pom poms and please.......someone get a holt of her english.........gettin', takin' .....maybe she is wantin' to be something she has no business bein' ........She scares me. Scares me to death!

This is no different than paying the mafia protection money in the vain hopes they won't make things worse for us. When times get tough, banks, Wall Street, and everybody else starts hoarding money so that they won't lose what they have left.

And the credit will remain frozen.

I suppose those 'rebate checks' from the White House weren't even worth the paper they were printed on.

Put money back in to the pockets of the consumers. If no one buys your product then you have no reason to keep the working middle class of America employed. I live in Hawaii where people vacation here or it was the idea till some one thought it was better for tourist to buy vacation homes here instead of staying at one of the beautiful resorts we have here. Which by the way employs a vast majority of the residents of this wonderful and beautiful state. Here is a fact that i believe is not only happening here but everywhere across the country, When you have to work 2 or maybe 3 jobs to pay for your $2500 to $5000 mortgage, you work 7 days a week, and say 12 to maybe 16 hours a day. Yeah your working hard making money to pay your mortgage, utilities, and if you have enough, food for your family, because you eat at work or on the go, never with your family anymore. Now one of your places of employment gives you a notice saying sales or down or have been down for the past few months and your job may have to be cut because its better for the company and "THATS THE WAY OF THE BUSINESS"(EXECUTIVES GET BIGGER BONUSES ON THE " MANAGING THE BUDGET")

Your job in turn was cut to make more money for your exec to cover up a bad risk that he or she took with out your concent. Your house was given to you based on your gross income not your net income, (Your gross income looks so much better than your net). State budgets are being cut because cost of living just got a few thousand dollars more expensive, but hey it looked good at the time. Kind of like miss piggy posing for one of those Snowboards instead of Playboy models. Hey now that you think about it Osama is one ugly dude, but Sadam shaved and looked better then Bin laden. Sounds like a standard of past 8 years. Take the one that looks better, and you will succeed. Unlike the previous President, he seemed to go for the more unattractive route, and eliminated some debt, increased the Value of the Dollar, and believed in the Country to be responsible with something called a free market, where everyone involved should be trusted not to take this power and use it for evil but to help the economy get bigger and stronger without Government interference. Well I guess better to have gone for one attractive program, then to be seen as the one who always chose the ugly programs....

In my own opinion, I think that Biden did a much better job in the debate than Sarah Palin did. He explained and said the things I wanted to hear if Barack Obama was elected and what they would do to fix the economy and end the war. On the Biden and Palin debate, if you have watched it, notice when biden explains about the war in iraq and that Obama would send the troops home and iraq would be set on its own feet. As it goes to Palin notice that she was stumped, thinking of something quick, atleast it looked to be like that when she was biting her lower lip when Biden had said that, she then said "It would be like a white flag" Actually it wouldn't. The only intention now was to help Iraq with its goverment and train a good army for them, and then let them go. Doing that, and then leaving isn't raising a white flag when actually it means you won. You helped that country, and now you set it on its own. A quick remark and a excuse is what I saw that came from Palin. As for Biden, a outstanding speech and performence is what I saw. I truly believe that Obama and Biden will fix America's economy and make the lives of americans much easier than it is now.

And to throw this out there, did anyone ever notice in the beginning that John Mccain said "More of the same" Then all of the sudden when alot of people want Obama, John Mccain starts saying the same thing Obama says. Or is it just me?

I can't believe people are so retarded as to let this happen,,well get out the tents, depression is on the way! Capitalism sucks, Democracy would be great and do great, without it!!!

Salam:
Now that the bill has been passed and the troubled securities are going to be bought, how do we know that the companies the money has been paid to are going to use it exclusive of all other things than keeping the credit opperable?
I'm assuming there are 75 Million households in America. If that 810 Billion were to be distributed to all of them in equal measure, they would get $10,800.00 . How much is the average amount of Credit card debt? I presume 5-10 Thousand Dollars.
I'm going to sound like I'm repeating what's said on TV, but, this started because people were unable to pay for what they bought. If this money had gone to those unable to pay, then the matter would have been averted.
Ma Salama

OK America! Who should we be mad at for this whole economy thing? The government for bailing out big business with OUR taxes, the media for making us want stuff we dont need or our parents for not teaching us how to manage money. How about ourselves for not using the brain God gave us and only spending what we could afford. I blame ourselves.

Time to educate the next generation so they dont make the same financial mistakes.

Maybe congressman are making too much or voting because they are getting lobbyist money. They eatup tax payer dollars and I'm putting my foot down. If I were working in Congress or the Senate or the White House, I would maybe not have a salary at all. maybe I could just be paid by those who I will help the most, the oor, the weak, the needy, the low class, and middle class. Expanding our economy globally and helping to create world peace is theultimate goal. Yes we have to invest in defense and it will be done with more surveillance and intelligence. We need an big amount of diplomacy. How about we send all the politicans whostole from us to be diplomats in other countries?? We need to see what evryone's taxpayers dollars are going in federal tax and stae taxes. It could be posted online or in the newspaper, magazines, etc.

Sincerely Yours,

Chad S.

California had problems way before the 'bailout'. For them relate it somehow to the bailout is quite handy for the politicians. Ridiculous, but quite convenient.

All of our local community projects are doing fine and will not be put on hold. There are more issues involved than the 'bailout' in the instances you are reporting on. Maybe you should look further instead of reporting just for shock value.

It's the same as your reporting on credit cards. I haven't heard of anyone anywhere that had their rates increased or credit lines cut because of the bailout. If people had this happen to them, there are more than likely other factors that contributed to those adjustments in their credit accounts. But again the shock value is more convenient.

All of this sounds like more scare tactics by the media, just like your reporting on the auto industry. There are other causes for their problems as well.

The bailout passed, but do you honestly think that those millions of individuals who couldn't buy a car before can now miraculously purchase one? There are other factors involved.

Get ready for more talks on how to fix our economy, because the bailout was a complete joke and will not solve the myriad of problems that our national economy is currently facing.

I think it was a big mistake. Wake up people everywhere. The goverment,military and corporations control everything. If you want real news watch link tv. If were not headind towards socialism then what would you call it? The us army has already been deployed on us soil. WHY? I guess they expect civil unrest to come.Good luck to all we need it.

Good for the Govinator. At least he's not trying to tax the people of California for the money. Since congress has passed the bail out he may as well ask for a part of it. If they give it to California it will be 7 billion less for Wall street.

who will be regulating the way this money will be disbursed? i'm concerned that there will be many greedy fingers trying to get their fingers in this tax-payers pot of gold. taxpayers should demand that a quarterly report is made available to them disclosing exactly what is going on with our money.

I want to know where is the money coming from, the 700 billion, and how much is the interest. Will any foreign banks in our country be also rescued?

The fact that the bailout went through doesn't bother me, what bothers me is that some Americans seem to think it should have gone to pay off their mortgages! Hello, why would I want to buy you a house? I have been financially responsible and now my investments are on shaky ground. Thank you government for protecting me! All you people bailing on the money you owe, thank you for this mess and stop playing the victim. If you can't afford it, you don't buy it. It's not rocket science.

I am begining to hear "experts?" talk about the true issue with theconomy and the credit crunch. The excessive debt taken on by companies, citizens, and governments; local, state, federal. Credit is necessary but I think most of us can agree that as a country are over extended. My issue with the bill and the discussions about future spending from congress is it does not get spending under control or even try to. They got the tax breaks passed not by combining them with spending cuts but with more debt. If the economy weakens and and tax income reduces, we are inserious trouble. As of know all it would take is someone with influence to suggest we might have issues making payments on the interest of the national debt and the interest rates for T-bills will tumble in a hurry. Where is America then. I know something has to be done but did we have to through all of our eggs in one basket when we are not sure it would work.

This plan only benefits the already financially well-to-do. If that were not the case, they would not have acted so quickly OR been so concerned about things as they were.

Money is the root of all evil.

If the 'little guys' really mattered, our country would have been bailed out and rescued LONG AGO. Maybe things would not have become so dramatic... a 90-year-old woman recently shot herself, that should be a wake-up call.

They do not know what REAL hardships are. When one has not been through REAL hardships, one can not possibly understand. It's simply human nature.

A hardship to them is their 401K dropping, or their bank accounts over $100,000 suffering losses. A true hardship is having to live on the streets, or being permanently disabled, or being an abused child.

There are SO MANY other TERRIBLE hardships out there that need their attention, but those problems are never addressed. Focusing on those issues would not benefit them financially.

Money is the root of all evil.

The bailout is not enough – here is an idea that could work for all Americans:

To Both McCain & Obama – Since you both are encouraging Congress to set aside partisan politics to solve our current economic problems why don’t you both do the same at least as far as the current economic crisis and work together on this tremendous challenge that our country faces, and which will affect and is affecting millions of Americans? A Federal bailout will be just the beginning of the solution that is needed here and this problem needs an unprecedented approach if there is going to be a solution that lasts.

The two of you working together and leading a blue ribbon panel of experts to help bring about a workable solution would be a tremendous example to the world, and also a great way to boost the hopes and aspirations of the common citizen, and in addition a great & needed encouragement to our financial institutions. This would be an unprecedented example of leadership taken by the recognized leaders of their parties, and would be applauded by all. You are both winners within your parties – you both have different approaches – if you can work together to conquer this problem you will both be true American heroes! I realize that this will require a great sacrifice in setting aside your own personal goals and ambitions, at least as far as this issue, but isn’t saving this country worth giving up a little bit in the area of personal pride and partisan politics?

If you are both too busy hand this over to your VP’s – after all they will need something to do – and they both could have a job after the election!

The Wall Street Bailout is the result of the biggest "shell game" con in history! Using fear tactics as threats, Wall Street sat back and waited for the Bailout. What other deals were struck in back rooms in Washington? The wealth of this country belongs to less than 1% of the population. So why is 99% paying the bills?

The United States of America has been forced to rise up against its own people by the Lenders of this great nation. They are more of a threat than Osama Bin Laden could dream of being. We are no longer in control of our Government, and our Government is no longer in control of our government.

The Bankers and Lenders of this once great nation have proven that they are the Rulers Elite. I hope they know what they are doing.

"Permit me to issue and control the money of a nation, and I care not who makes its laws" – Amschel Mayer Rothschild 1838

"I care not what puppet is placed upon the throne of England to rule the Empire on which the sun never sets. The man who controls Britain's money supply controls the British Empire, and I control the British money supply." – Nathan Mayer Rothschild

I don't know why everyone is so excited about the FDIC being raised to $250.000 when the federal government has 20 years to pay back the loss. Most people would be dead before their money is paid back from the bank. How many trusting people know that? I would like you to inform the public about this truth, Thank you

Melody from Ohio

It's in the numbers around 200 million US citizens and 700 Billion dollars works out to about 2 + million per citizen. That kind of cash in the pockets allows them to pay off mortgages, credit cards and to have enough cash to stimulate the economy. Time to put the money in the hands of the people who will put it to good use.

I am mad as heck... they could have given everyone in the US a million dollars and saved the financial system that way and saved 100's of billions of dollars doing it

Let's take the pain now. Housing prices need to drop to the point where the can actually be paid for. Let's fix the regulations to cut back on these less than 80% loan to value mortgages that are so sensitive to price fluctuations. Let's start to regulate the secondary mortgage market such that the real risk of these securities is reflected in the price.

The $3-4 trillion dollar drop in real estate values was necessary. If we need to bail anyone out, let's do it like Buffett and get some equity for the risk we are taking on.

I think the fact that this is a presidential election year is making this worse. Democrats and Republicans need to wake up and smell the cat food in their bank accounts. Forget politics people, this is our country.

Sarah Palin has nothing of substance to say. She is like a barbie doll with a speaking button. Push it and she says the same little sentences over and over. Now that may appeal to the sheep of this country who cannot think for themselves. But thinking women in particular are embarrassing by Palin.

She's very ambitious that is obvious! Watch your back, McCain!

While everyones else is asking...hey its the year 2008, and he has a city BANKRUPT already over there...Vallejo, CA. The trend is evident we are headed for a depression. I wish someone would admit it. Thanks for nothing Bush...

I suspect we are throwing good money after bad! Republican leaders are going to line up now.

Why should I have to pay I have never had a mortgage or owned a house and I don’t use banks. Why do I have to pay for others mistakes. I refuse. Company's need to learn to take responsibility for their own greedy actions.

As a 64 year old voting male, I find it totally unacceptable that Obama (the candidate I'm leaning toward) would support a bailout bill that included $348mm for the richest people in Hollywood.

The man talks about "Change" and yet blows his first big opportutunity to demonstrate to the American people that he really is for "Change".

What a bunch of BS................. Maybe I'll just not vote for the first time in over 40 years.

Yessssssss........I realize that the idiot McCain voted for it also.

I thought about a slogan for the current times. With the banking industry shaken up and the election tsunami reaching landfall we have all forgotten about the recent meteorological events. 300 people are still missing from the gulf area, sure some are probably partying away in Las Vegas or at their family’s homes elsewhere but some are probably dead and never to be found.
As a first responder for the Government I’ve spent the days directly following the hurricane helping people to regain a similarity of normality in their lives. I was back in my area of responsibility before things were obviously back to normal. My refrigerator was empty as the power went out for a few days and things had to be disposed off. For that reason I had to get my sustenance from the few local restaurants and cafés in the area. Needless to say the prices of almost everything sold during those days had been unreasonably inflated.
Sure a few of these places had to run generators for their electricity and that costs money but some didn’t. Systematically every place where I’ve eaten had increased their prices by at least 20%. So while walking to a local coffee shop near by I thought of a slogan: “Don’t raise your prices in time of crises!!!”
Needless to say I am very proud of my wit and proneness to comedic approach to problems but a the same time I am engulfed with a sense of loss thinking that this society is so quick to forget real human tragedies and also to take advantage of people’s struggle. Beat them while they are down sounds more like the motto pervading these days!

Now that the bailout/ rescue bill has been passed and signed, it must now go to Treasury and assign the job of oversight. I can only hope that congress in their infinate wisdom doesnot hand this over to HUD who has screwed up everyhthing they touch in the last 30 years. They were ,the last I knew ,suppose to be the oversight for FNMA &FHLMC.
As a retired Mortgage Banker , I agree as many have said ,there is more than enough blame to go around ,all the way from the White House down through the system, Bankers ,Brokers , Realtors ,Buyers( Informed as well as uninformed.) All the blame does not go to Wall Street.,they were just buying a product. I saw this mess coming 15 years ago.

The current economic crisis reminds me of the S & L bailout of the 80's.. only bigger. Why has the coverage of the presidential race ignored the"Keating Five?" We are still paying for that mistake and it is still relevant.

It appears the fed is back to Bushs old strategy of keeping money cheap to borrow with no incentive to save and borrow wisely, by the Fed contemplating another interest rate drop. A few more rate drops and what few savers are left, will have to pay the banks. They just don't get it , people borrow when they don't have money. By incouraging more borrowing though good for business, as most don't carry the debt on what they sell, it's only creating more of what got us in this mess.More people borrowing and NOT paying the money back.

Hi Robin
I am from your home state of Ohio,actually north west Ohio. I am 57 yrs young and as I watch this crisis unfold I see my entire retirement plans change in front of my eyes. I am a small business man highly invested in real estate and seen this banking crisis coming 5yrs ago. As I watched the vote for this bill fail and then pass, it was clear that greed is driving our economy and government. If it benifits them selves personally it get a yes and if not a no. As with most middle class America I can"t even comprehend what a Billion dollars is other than a one with lots of zeros. We need to know more than it is going to take 25, 85, and 700 BILLION dollar to fix this crisis. We need truth form government and the media. I know it is a world crisis now and I am worried. I hope you stay the coarse , you know there are a lot of us who have breakfast and coffee with you every morning and rely on you for reporting truths to us. Please make sure you do this. This is going to be the most important election OUR country has ever had in a long time.

Sincerely
Larry Sito

I'd like to see a news person ask these idiots in charge ,why we can't save social security, but we can pull billions of dollers out of our taxpaying butts to give to a bunch of suits that have been filling their pockets for decades.

"More people borrowing and NOT paying the money back."

Quote from Don Nielsen above ...Good One... That's the key to the whole mess Don.

This is they way of our society... Wait and see what happens if Obama wins the election. The Democratic Party wants to socialize the country. Everyone is the same… No matter if you’re a hard worker or not you should have what I have. Don’t have a job…That’s ok the working people will pay for everything… so the lazy ones can sit at home or stand on the street corner…aka free ride…

The Free Ride Society – That's they way we will be remembered

Caused by the corrupt do nothing congress

People look to Congress and the President to save them and blame greedy bankers or corrupt CEOs or a lack of oversight by Congress. Guess what, America- if you want to find both the cause for this economic situation and the fix, look in the mirror. It's not some greedy banker or corporate CEO. That's like a drug addict blaming his dealer. It's not your Congressman failing to crack down on law breaking evil rebel financiers. No Sir and Ma'am, our Representatives have been doing just what we wanted, making sure we get what we want, just like our mortgage company, our new car dealership, the furniture store at that new mall, and the local gourmet coffee shop. We live a lifestyle we really can't afford and the banks simply feed our habit. We knew the risks but hey, everyone else is doing it too. Flip That House in (Fill in the State), why, housing is appreciating a (fill in the obscene percent here) a month here, can't go wrong. Never mind no one wondered how your average American family was going to pay a million dollar mortgage on that 60 year old 1,500 square foot home. Can't be seen living in some hovel. Your Congressman won't tell you that you need to slow down and live within your means- he does not wish to offend you because you may not reelect him. He must walk a fine line with his corporate fund raisers, because they represent jobs back home. Sorry, for the most part, his die is cast. The current economic 'crisis' is what happens when our just-in-time hand-to-mouth credit house of cards we Americans seem to want to accept as our way of life has a hiccup and collapses from the weight of our ignorance. Fortunately, we are an amazingly resilient Nation and capable of doing almost anything, including working our way through this mess. We do need the President and Congress to help us through meaningful legislation and most importantly, Leadership- but not unless we are willing to make some sacrifices, both now and in the future. We knew the risks, we just chose to ignore them. Figured we'd keep on letting it ride, baby. Sorry- ride's over. It's time to pay the bills. In a few years from now, you can be better off and financially stable. Stop pointing fingers, stop crying for help, roll up your sleeves, and start taking personal responsibility for your financial future.

I had a strange dream last night...

Bernanke and Paulson were hunting for bears when they were confronted by a huge grizzly. Bernanke fired but missed the bear and Paulson tried to fire but his gun jammed. They then threw down the rifles and ran away with the bear chasing after them.

I then walked over to the two rifles laying on the ground and saw the letters "700 Billion Bailout" engraved on the barrel of each rifle.

Weird.

If this problem would have been acted on sooner we might be feeling the effects of some relief instead of serious pain as is now. It takes time and nobody wants to give it that. Blame is on all of us. Mainly on congress and their greed and some other big cats. Once this starts to correct itself we then need someone in ofc that is not afraid to tackle the very big job of fixing it. I am not a dem or repub, but an American who wants leadership and trust. Obama is not the one for this role. He hides around his people and seems not to know what to say. McCain is not afraid to tackle this problem and I feel will try his hardest to fix it . Obama is a "wait and see" type of guy. McCain is one who says, "why wait when we can try and fix the problem now". At least he tries. I would rather stand beside a person who wants to help and give it his best, than stand by a person who says, lets wait and see if it works itself out of the problem. Leadership is very important and a person should not be chosen for this ofc just because they have a nice smile. I want someone in ofc who is not afraid of taken on big problems. I want someone in ofc who is fighting for the people not a party organization. I feel McCain is this person – he fights for the people whereas Obama fights for the party and is a yes person for those parties. When are the people going to open their eyes and see what is going on. When are they going to ask the question; Obama what have you done that makes you qualified for this ofc? Show me some work or proof not just a smile. I want change in our country for the right reasons and not because Bush is bad and Obama is the change. That is wrong. Get over it – McCain is not Bush. I sense that many people are voting for Obama just because of Bush. The dems could have run a monkey and probably come close to winning. We need from both of these guys plans laid out as to how the problems will be address and also the people that are going to be at their sides working on these problems. Not just words saying I have a plan. Again leadership is not something given because you look good in a suit or have a nice smile, it is something that is EARNED. How has Obama earned the right to lead? Open your eyes and look behind the suit. I feel that you will see that it is empty – no substance, no heart, no character and no ability to lead. Is this what you want for your family and self? If so, go for it. You think it is bad now – wait till he takes over. Wall street needs to be changed and I believe McCain is the one to try and change/fix that problem. He doesn't mind having them not like him because he isn't in ofc for vanity he is in ofc to try and make America and its people better off now and into the future. You have to have faith, trust, and patience for it to work. Open your eyes and see behind the suit. With McCain you will see that there is lots of substance, heart, character, and a great ability to lead. Open your eyes – vote for a leader not a smile.

This country should not be in the position it is in. There are Americans that are suffering financially.

American should be able to touch their 401K plans or IRA's without the 10% Penalty if under the age of 59 1/2. The Government and the States get their share via taxes. If Americans choose to touch these plans due to survival.....then the US Government should make such change to these plans and allow the American Public to continue to live!

The bailout was a mistake. We need to let the market resolve itself. Prices need to fall, there was too much credit out there and so house prices went up because more people could afford them. They built houses where ever they could, and now there are too many of them, believe me I know, I live in Fl they built them everywhere, including the flood fields of the St. Johns river, and are now flooded. These houses are not worth what they were asking. And now my property taxes are outrageous. Prices need to fall to market value, yes people will loose money, but we will recover and move on. The Federal Reserve is part of the problem, they cannot keep creating money and credit out of thin air. This will destroy the dollar. Look how much inflation has caused prices to rise since we invaded Iraq. We are paying higher prices for gas and food and everything else to pay for these wars because Bush promised not to raise taxes, so they just stole value from the dollar. Since the creation of the Fed in 1913 the dollar has lost the majority of its value, to the tune of 95%. We used to be able to exchange a $20 bill for a $20 ounce of gold. Now gold is over $900 an ounce, think of how much you could buy for a quarter if $20 was equal to $900. We need strong money. Visit http://www.campaignforliberty.com and see how much the presidential candidates received from the banks that were asking for the bailout. END THE FED, RETURN TO STRONG MONEY, prices will only rise with this bailout, and the depression/recession will just drag on for years. Get involved, contact your representatives.

Bernanke and Paulson should be fired! NO MORE INFLATION!

Vote third party, there are 4 other candidates. McKinney, Barr, Baldwin, Nader

Check out some of the provisions that were included. Talk about Congress living up to their low approval rating:
Sec. 211. Transportation fringe benefit to bicycle commuters

Sec. 308. Increase in limit on cover over of rum excise tax to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

Sec. 309. Extension of economic development credit for American Samoa.

Sec. 312. Deduction allowable with respect to income attributable to domestic production activities in Puerto Rico.

Sec. 317. Seven-year cost recovery period for a motorsports racing track facility.

Sec. 322. Tax incentives for investment in the District of Columbia.

Sec. 325. Extension and modification of duty suspension on wool products; wool research fund; wool duty refunds.

Crisis, what crisis? Seem to me that emotions run the finanical system. I thought when that trillion dollar bailout passed the crisis was taken care off. Yes, I know the bailout was 700 billion dollars, Remember you have to add interest. This makes it, what now ten or eleven trillion dollar national debt? And the governement says this is good for the public. What happened to all that finanical advice that the governement doles out to the people? Why didn't they use their own advice? We are in a finanical ruin thanks to all forms of government. Government wants to "fix" this crisis. It was their fixing in the first place that got us into it.

Well is it just me or do you think thes cops are beginning to be a little heavy handed in there " persuit off justice " or as they say doing it in the name of terrorism. RIGHT Next they will lock the borders and keep us in. Oh off course it is in the name of terrorism. it seems to me that everything they do is in the name of terrorism. Well a cop puts his knee in my back or on my neck im going to fight like crazy to. So go ahead you want a fight you got one. Also you say our prisons are overcrouded well let the pot smokers and growers out and replace them with the killers and rapist. and miricle we have more room. Also howabout taxing they pot growers and make a crap lode of money and there goes part of the U.S. Debt. But i dont think we have any smart people running this country. Everyone is trying to kiss everyones A**. Do the Right Thing Man!!!!!!!!!

I blame our leaders that we had elected to protect us. Those leaders of ours who have made millions off of our backs. The world now suffers with us as a domino effect is taking place. I wonder if those who made the millions will be punished or will they even have to give some of the profits they made back to us? The CEO's who bring in millions in profits and let their companies die are an example. They will just move on and live in their own world and ask, "How could this have happened?" As their companies continue to put the employees on the food lines again. My food pantry in my church is over loaded with requests each month.
My Govenor, who I love very much, has just made a speech to the citizens of New York explaning how the country is handling our Tax Dollars. His statement read that it is time we pay for what we get and not rely on loans to survive. We must pay as we go or we should not go there. Our states are going broke.
In the past we always borrowed to pay for everything. President Bush borrowed "Billions" to pay for the War in Iraq, from our old enemies no less. We now owe China for years to come and we still have not gotten ourselves out of the war. Have we not also given up on Human Rights in China? Our President only gives a speech now and then on human suffering in China and then accept the money they give us with a smile. All is forgotten. We turn our heads to the suffering because of the loans we accept.
We say we do not have any oil but we continue to talk tuff with the countries who have the oil. Nothing has been done to help the energy crisis. In fact we now have forgotten about that as the prices fall in the Oil Markets.
We still give Billions to countries for their defense but when we ask for their help we are told no.
I think it is time that the country come together and start putting America back into the great place we once held. At this time I am reminded of Bin Laden's speeches of how they will destroy us from within. He once said that all he had to do was make a shamble of our fiancial structure and we would fall.
We can not make this reality. Somebody must have the insight to save us. We are American's......

The administration has put its spin that we are about to die if we dont give him our money. All non wallstreet economists agree that putting your money in an FDIC (very safe) savings or checking acct. wil allow banks to loan money to resonablie companines for payroll and inventories but they wont and should not reward credit swaps and some of the cdos.
Balance w/ Rep. Franks housing law( it passed to) (nerds it filter-up not trickle-down see your textbook) should lead to something much less than the depression!
Wall st. does not intersect main st. it does connect thru finance road.
but WE THE PEOPLE say superhighway or toll road. your checking is SAFE jobs will be hard to find.

This is just My opinion but if you own stock dont sell. The prices now arent even what the good companies are worth. the guys on wall street say that if the commericial banks(not fdic) opened there books and let the world not the president to decided what to loan to who, that there would be lending. over time thats got to happen or we will need an OFFICE OF VOTER EDUCATION to help us thru the crisis coming in november 7th or maybe a few days ahead?

I have been republican for many years, but now have changed to democrate I don't like the slander and mudslinging McCain/Palin are and have done, but they don't know how to run an honest format without name calling.
Palin is no different, Can't you see this soccer mom, by golly, gosh darn attitude going to heads of countries with this I AM WOMAN attitude and call them the names she has called OBAMA.

Thank McCain/Palin for showing me the way to vote.

My husband and I would like to know how the bailout may help (or hurt) our chances to buy a first-time home. Will there still be opportunities for HUD loans?

I was a little disappointed in both candidates because none of the 4 running PRES/VP want to talk about what they are going to do to keep jobs in the USA, for the companies that build here get big tax cuts then because they get cheaper labor in oversea's companies like CHINA, who by the way if you check has their hands in most everything made and sold in the USA.
WE allowed the government to sell our country to the manufacturers overseas, and CHINA who now is killing off their own children because they have a law only 1 child per family. WHEN are we as american citizens going to wake up and start putting responsibility where it belongs, that is to the people we voted into offices in DC, now more so comfortable that when they leave office they can go to work for the people they lobbied for. TERMS in office need to be changed to mirror the president, 2 terms, LETS see how our elected officials work for the USA and our citizens then.

McCain said last night he wants to give a rebate of $5000 for insurance, he said nothing about, we were going to be taxed on that money, nor did he speak about the out of pocket expenses of $5000 which we have to pay first, where is the savings,,,PLEASE SHOW ME. Insurance companies only want to insure healthy people, medications are so out of the relm of realistic it is a joke. My friend in florida IS A GOOD EXAMPLE: when he lost his job, he had to find insurance through COBRA, what he found was unreal. $600 a month, $5000 out of pocket deductible, then he found another $400, with $5000 deductible but because he had a back injury as a child (he is in his 60's now), the insurance company call that a PRE EXISTING problem. MCCAIN, take your $5000 AND PUT IT WHERE THE MOON DON'T SHINE.

With all the mismangement of funds and oversight committees, shouldn't someone go to jail?

I don' t understand why there is so much confusion on why there is little confidence in the economy. Many people get their "news" from the radio, TV, web and yes newspapers. From what I have seen and heard very few, if any, of these outlets are providing positive or encouraging info. It all appears to be doom & gloom. With such a constant stream of negative info I'm not surprised at the lack of positive responce in the stock market. How can we have confidence if everyone is saying the sky is falling?

not exactly sure on the details yet it might take a little time for wall street but soon a very definant yes. govt has already supported the workings of freddie and fannie. soon they will be able to make loans. Also soon thanks to Rep. Franks housing bill you will get a 15,000.00 bonus.

if pualson raids the fdic . "use fdic resources to stop systemic risk" our checking acounts wont be safe. this will cause a global catastrify that will make the great depression look like childs play. we must stop any atemp to comprimise the fdic. Please witre your senator and tell them no to use fdic resources.

Has the govrenment thought of this?

Why not quit trying to bail out the banks and force them to raise the rate they pay on savings? The American people are looking for a place to put what cash they have left after all this mess – why not put it in a bank?? If we got a decent rate of return – we would – it would make our banking system stronger – and us too.

Robin this morning you said that the vgoting irregularities were equally at fault at both parties . do some more investigation and check out the acorn group the are being caught I thought this could be a good dicussion about democracy

I grew up listening to my Dad and Grandfather talk about how credit and the common man will eventually come to a head. I always thought that that was crock because our country has always looked like it would be a the good model for the rest of the world. Well, I guess I need to eat some crow. My grandfather never bought anything he could not pay for and that included his home. I always remember him doing something to his home to make it better. But, it was always a little at time. Maybe we/ I could take a few lessons from him today. I am not in trouble by any stretch but I sat and watched my 401 drop 20 thousand in just a few days. That makes me a little angry that that is beyond my control. So, I guess credit and this common man have just bumped heads hard. I should have payed more attention Grandpa...

Is not the government's action no different than borrowing against your Visa to pay your MasterCard which is, basically, what got us into this mess in the first place – too much debt!?. How is creating more debt under the guise of easing the credit crunch going to solve the problem.

Robin, I would like to know why we are paying $3.50 a gallon for gas when oil has gone down $55 a barrel. It seems that the oil companies are still filling their pockets and we are footing the bill. I for one am tired of paying for their lavish lifestyle while they stick it to us at the pumps. When is somebody going to do something about these companies raping the public. I mean come on, Oil drops over $55 a barrel and gas at the pumps only drops about fifty cents. Come on, Enough is a enough. Stop the gouging of the american tax payer.
glen from oregon.

The government is patching the roof while the foundation crumbles!!! If you don't infuse some cash directly into Main Street ,things aren't going to get better!!!! We cannot afford the loans even if the banks are willing to loan. For the first time in years, we don't have an extra cent after paying just the basics. By the basics I am refering to what ever is getting ready to be cut off or what ever is the most over due! With the inflation in food and energy cost we here on Main Street are dying. Home owners need the rescue package!

They are going about it all wrong. Trying to get the banks to lend more money is not going to fix this. You can't borrow your way out of debt.

The problem is the borrower can't pay it back... duh! So loan us more money we can't pay back. Now we will have anothe loan payment we can't make and were back to square one. You can't borrow your way out of debt.

If they want to fix it the right way, Use the tax payer money to help the tax payers. If the people and small businesses get a helping hand,

1:The banks get their money because they now get the payments they were counting on from the loans already made.

2: The people get to make their house payments, and don't have to live in their cars or worse.

3: Small business can use the money to make their payments and try to expand.

4: Just maybe people will have a small amount of money (with help) to spend on some other things. Gas, Heat, Food,

Giving money directly to the big banks and wall street will NOT fix this.

Robert

he more I hear about this economic crisis, the more afraid I am of wear I stand. I’m graduating from college in May, and I am scared to death. I feel as if it is barely addressed what we should expect ENTERING this work force with so many people without a job and so many people without homes. Where do younger people stand? What should we expect? It’s so much to take in. I wanted to go to graduate school next year – is that a good idea? Should I enter Americorps instead? This is heart breaking that people are losing their homes, everything they have… but what if you have not even started to gain anything of your own left? What should we expect?

Why aren't any of the experts out there talking about the root cause of the financial/home value/stock market crisis? It is very simple, Demographics. Baby boomers are retiring and there is more money going out than going in. This problem is surely going to played out again when Social Security numbers reach critical mass. I guess there will just have to be another bail out then.

Ron from Naperville, IL

these good old boys in washington have a fast fix to the finanical problem by throughing our money at it and who ever catches the most gets the most. they failed to tell us working people we had to be in washington to catch it. they keep saying use those credit cards to help stimalite the economy. don't they remember you need a job in order to be able to pay for those credit cards. i'll bet they forgot they sold our jobs to oversea contries through nafta. who was it that started nafta anyways?

Jenny, we are already in one heck of a mess. And the McMavericks of congress who voted in lock step with Bush/Cheney for 8 years, are the ones who are responsible. And now McSame wants to make the tax cuts on the wealthiest FAT CATS permanent!

We can't afford anymore of this Corporate Welfare. Trickle down economics does NOT work!

Vote for Obama/Biden... or STAY IN THE MESS!

Here is what I don't understand.... Congress & high powered execs already cooked up a scheme to rob Americans of their hard earned money. There was a law passed many years ago..you may have all heard of it...it's called the MANDATORY INSURANCE LAW....requiring everyone owning a car to buy insurance -with big penalties paid by consumers to local governments for non-compliance. ...Up to & including jail time for failure to pay fines. How could AIG now be struggling? I would venture to say GROSS mis-management of funds...if government passed a law requiring everyone owning a car to give me 1 or 2 hundred a month .....I think I just might be OK for a few years...even if I did have to pay a few claims here & there... Our gov't SUX!!

HELLO, WORLD WE HAVE GOT OUR SELF IN A MESS THE WAY THE BAIL OUT MONIES SHOULD BE UNSED IS TOO INJECT THIS MONEY INTO ALL 50 STATE AND START PROJECTS THAT WILL CREATED JOBS WE NEED JOBS NOT THE BANKS .THE BANKS WILL RECOVER IF WE PUT PEOPLE BACK TO WORK . MRS .ROOSVELT DID THIS YEARS AGO AND IT WORK ED . THE 700BILLION THAT WE ARE GIVING TOO THE BANKS WILL NEVER WORKER . DUE TO IT IS NOT IN THE WORKING MANS HAND THE SMALLER PEOPLE ARE WHAT MAKES OUR MONEY FOLLOW WITHOUT JOBS THE HOLD SYSETEM IS GOING TO CRASHS . THIS IS WHAT HAS HAPPEN IN OTHER COUNTRYS. WE HAVE PLAY THE GAME OF WHO GETS RICH FRIST . NOW IS TIME TO PAY THE PIPER . HO BY THE WAY WHILE ALL OF THIS IS TAKING PLACE. WE NEED TO BE WORKING ON GETTING SOME OF OUR FACTORYS BACK INTO THE UNTIED STATE.WE CANNOT AFFORD MILLION OF AMERICAN OUT OF WORK ANY LONGER .THIS COUNTRY WAS BUILD ON THE BACK OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE AND WE TOOK THIS OUT OF THIER HANDS AND PUT IT IN THE FORIEGN MARKETS THIS WAS A BAD MOVE .

Financial Crisis Solution: Relieve all debt. We have done it for entire countries, why not wipe the slate clean for everyone? This would stimulate all manufacturing including auto, home building and other construction, all sales, retail, auto and home.

I know that they say it will take time for the bailout to work. I was for it until I saw what was happening on Wall Street this week. Now I have stopped to think about it. When Washington gives that money out, guess who it will probably go to...the CEO's who got us into this mess. Yes, I have debt, a lot of it. I am going to have to work hard to pay for it. If I am going to have to work to pay off all my debt, then so should the ones who helped us get into debt by giving us, the consumers, the debt. Giving loans is a two-sided process: the loan officer and the person getting the loan.

I understand the economy's crisis as a whole. But my question related to the crisis, directly effecting everyday Americans is, why when oil is $84 a barrell is that significant drop not showing up at the pump?

What changes have i had to make. I am a contractor in Pensacola fl. I hold contractors licenses in Pensacola Fl and in Alabama and a home inspection license in Pensacola since this problem came about with the housing i had to file bankruptcy for 1.8 mil in houses sitting and $300,000.00 gone in bank interest on loans hoping someone might get this problem back on track. Now a life time of building credit is gone and i have sent out over two hundred resumes for jobs hear and overseas and no one is hiring. All contractors i know are in the same boat as i am and subcontractors and suppliers also. There is over 6,000 houses on the market here and very little selling. Have any ideas on how to build up credit quickly? My website http://www.jackneedham-homes.com

I have found great bargains on clothes on EBAY. Not only am I saving money, I am having fun doing it, without the crowds, driving, etc. When dealing with lemons, sometimes you have to find a way to make great cheap lemon-aide!
Yolie

Who knows how this financial crisis will effect me and my family... Right now we are better off financially than we ever have been, but we are reluctant to make major purchases. We have money set aside for home renovations and a new lawn tractor, things we planned to do before winter weather sets in, but we're not buying anything we don't need until we're sure our future is secure. Robin... please give me some GOOD NEWS!

I'm doing all I can to stimulate the economy. Selling a house & buying another (more expensive) one. Trying to stay positive... lower gas prices, deals on cars, cheaper stocks. I'll try to take advantage of all of the incentives available. Want to keep a positive attitude & look for that "silver lining" that's always there, but often hard to see.

I took out my entire lifes savings placed it in my Safe-Deposit box, then spent $2,000 on everything to stock the freezer and pantry due to (our) rising food costs in Hawaii, prior to them raising further. Our Bank of Hawaii is in trouble, but at least I know my saving's is locked in a solid safe, and my home is stocked with essentials that are raising faster then the Gas did !!!

Seems to me that the world top minds have not figured out yet why we are in this grave economic crisis. In order to solve a problem you first have to understand it. The culprit of the economic crisis is the OIL. Multiply the effect of oil prices in the economy and what that does to each household. The average family budget has been hit well in excess of $500 to $1000 per month. The impact of that is less savings, defaulted credit cards, less house sales causing lower house prices, and defaulted mortgages. Greed and lack of regulation are nothing new. These are underlying problems of the system. The price of oil has surfaced these underlying problems, but the real culprit, what is new is the excessive price of oil.

The solution: remove oil trading from open markets. Uranium is not sold in open markets. Oil should not be sold in open markets because it is a commodity that severely impact national security. Fix oil price at $50.00.

Robin, Once again we receive no justified answers on the gas issue. Yesterday I drove from Charlotte to Myrtle Beach and gas prices ranged from 3.99 to a station in South Carolina where I filled up for $2.99. Why isnt anyone deanding answers? your show is great keep up the great work! Dave

Robin, the one thing I have not heard anyone talk about, not the press, canidates, "whitehouse" anyone; is how this crisis is effecting the majority of the population of the U.S. The single parents. Over 50% of the population are single parents. We get hit from every side. We have to fight everyday just to survive. We don't have stock porfolios, credit cards, savings, credit... We work 24/7 most of the time. Most live under the poverty level. I'm a lucky one. I have owned my own home for almost 22 years. I haven't had a raise in 15 years. I can't get1 dime of the almost 180,000 in equity out of my home. Between the price of gas nd food, I constsntly live hand to mouth. I fall alittle more behind every week. Therer isno help anywhere because I'm a woking single parent. This crisis is killing us.

Well, there's plenty of blame to go around. Conservatives blame us little people. We little folks blame the rich folks. Business blames deregulation, regulators blame unscrupulous businesses. WOW!
The reality is, WE (and that's ALL of us) have been infected by one of the seven deadly sins – GREED!

What we've done is sickening, from the lowest levels to the top levels of business and government, everyone got greedy. Everyone saw the money and the the investment banks figured out a way to be the one's with the chairs (money) when the music (credit) stopped. We all need to be ashamed of ourselves and retribution is at hand!

How can viewers not be afraid after watching all news media! All we hear is doom and gloom. Hell, watch the local evening news and count how many topics/stories are covered that involve something negative. Shame on outlets like yourselves for helping to create this financial mess.

Many people will never be able to afford home ownership due to their own bad decisions or just bad luck. I'm sorry folks but home ownership is not a universal right. What bothers me most about the bailout is that taxpayers like me are assuming debt for people who didn't really qualify for a mortgage in the first place. Karl Marx would be proud.

Robin, tell your people to give it a rest on the doom and gloom. Do you really think your reports are helping the average American? Let me ask you again ..... do you really think your stories are helping people? The answer is NO ! There are plenty of great things happening in the world that you could be reporting. Shame on you,.

Put a single mum with a few kids, living in a rental in charge of AIG. She'd show them how to budget.
I've have them accounting for the last sheet of toilet paper they'd use. Retreat my A$$!! Get to work and pay back what you owe, you bums!!
Peace, Kai

The government taking over the banks does sound like socialism. But capitalism like freedom requires a degree of responsibility for it to work. Since our nations bankers have no responsibility they deserve to have their banks taken from them. I'm not saying that the government knows how to run banks any better but like a child who disobeys you need to take away their freedom to punish them.

I sat down and literally cried when I heard of the injustice of AIG 's bailout and then they go on an expensive retreat to a luxury spa when my family has been without a hot water heater for a month, we've been taking cold showers, washing dishes with water heated up on the stove. There is no chance of affording a new water heater before the end the of the year. The hell with cutting back, we are just trying to survive.

I understand that OPEC is calling for a rare emergancy meeting to raise oil per barrel prices. Our government should do the same with wheat exported to these countries.....in other words, let wheat per bushel price match oil per barrel price, or how about eliminating all exports and/or aid to these countries. I feel that since it was our own government that put oil on the commodity market, our government should remove it as well. On another note, I live in West Virginia where drilling rigs are everywhere drilling for natural gas ( I passed 7 drilling rigs the other day in less than 25 miles of driving and our roads are covered with oil/gasfield trucks hauling equipment).......what would be wrong with having drilling rigs all over Alaska? What would be wrong with drilling ALL of our coastal/offshore regions?

My wife and I have cancelled our vacation to San Diego, had a family meeting and let our 4 daughters and their husbands know that this Christmas let's plan on just enjoying each other not the gifts.

I have a big question, when will the idiots at AIG wake up and stop spending money on retreats and junkets. Why are the top managers even still employed, and what are the plans for them paying us the taxpayers back.

Love your show Robin and everyone at Morning Express, and still watching you all from the hot tub every morning.
Harley Bob

I am a single parent. My career was as a real estate agent. This crisis has put me in a crisis. I kind of saw it coming when I saw how my clients were borrowing over the years, but now here I am with two teen aged boys and I am crying every day because I can't make ends meet. I don't know how I am going to send my son to college next year. I am working as a paralegal again, as I was before I was a real estate agent but it isn't the same. I am closing very small forclosure and auction deals (nights and weekends), lots of work for very little pay. I HONESTLY BELIEVE I HAVE THE ANSWER OF HOW TO STRAIGHTEN THIS OUT BUT I AM NOT A POLITICIAN SO I DON'T KNOW HOW TO GO ABOUT HAVING MY SOLUTION HEARD AND CONSIDERED.

I feel this whole downfall started months ago when gasoline prices jumped to over 3 dollars a gallon, this hurt alot of folks like myself, when we're having problems keeping our head above water the oil companys pulled a dirty nasty one on us, while these CEO's are swimming in record profits, poor folks like me are trying to figure out how to get to work on the same wages we were making 5 years ago. how soon the big money makers forget that it's us little folks that pay the bills an not the big gluttons in this country!!!!!!

"That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security."

i keep hearing cut back cut back. greed is what has put this copuntry in the shape it,s in the rich get richer the poor get poorer when the cost of everything comes down where we all can aford what we need then things will turn around. ther is no need for a automobile to cost 50 or 60 thousand dollars the cost of everything has got to come down
try raising a family on less than 25,000.00 dollars a year then see how much you can cut back

I really don't think anything will change until we hit rock bottom. That is the only thing that will change the way we and our leadership does buisness. You just can't expect that throwing money at a problem will fix the problem. We and our government need to improve our habits and stop spending money that doesn't exist.
Let me add also about our elected officials. I am a Republican but I'm pretty sick of the whole Republican/Democrat thing. We don't need a Republican or a Democrat in office. What we do need is an American. Someone that cares about their country, their family, and their fellow americans. With the amount of money we spend away form our country there is no reason that every american youth that wants and education could not have one and no reason that our elderly could not have health care without out of pocket expenses. This is just with the money we waste. Where are our priorities.
Thanks for allowing me to vent.
Oh and what am I changing because of the situation. I drive to work every day and drive home and thats it. Seems like you can't walk out your door anymore without spending $20.00. And you know what? It's kinda nice the family all at home every night.

Permission to watch the news is on the verge of being revoked as I can no longer contain myself from swearing to the TV over the financial crisis, the election, and the constant barrage of liars who are paraded before us daily. I would like everyone to leave now; this party's over and, the lights are out.

Are the execs at AIG STUPID or what? Why are we giving money to a company that can afford to take these expensive holidays? Someone has to step in and hold the execs accountable. No CEO should be getting any type of bonus no matter what kind of contract they have. They don't deserve a bonus for taking their company down. When will this madness end?

hi robin and crew behind the scenes.

me and my family are just scraping by.

at 40 years old i have started cutting and splitting firewood to make money.

i have seen a 60% drop in my income due to a slowdown/standstill in consumer spending in electronic gadgets.

so i have been selling cords of firewood for $120. this is hard work.
$120 a cord is not much after fuel and wear and tear .... not to mention the time it takes to cut/split and deliver a cord of wood.

cords of wood used to cost $155 around here ... but recently more and more folks are starting to cut/sell the firewood for money ... so the price is going down due to the competition.

anyway ... i though this might interest you to know.

thanks
bret

libby, montana

goood mornin".hey Robin...first of all, your more pretty than a new set of snow tires. okay...question...if we were to pull our trops out of iraq, wouldnt that save the united states millions a day ?.

Does anyone want to know why most Americans were against this bailout? It's because nobody has been there to bail us out. We have been feeling the "financial crisis" for years now. My husband and I were forced to declare bankruptcy 5 years ago. It was the best thing that could have happened to us, even though at the time we thought it was horrible. Now, we have just made our last bankruptcy payment. We don't have much, but what we have we should be able to hang on to. My son is starting his second year at Berkley College of Music in Boston. He lost his financing 10 days before the fall semester began. Fortunately, he was able to find a different source at the last minute, but we do not know about next year. His room mate had to leave 1 week into the semester. His financing fell through. My sister in law lost her house over the summer. She is now renting and still owes $20,000 on that bad mortgage. Two close friends lost their homes and their cars. One of them still owes $28,000 and has nothing to show for it. All of this happened before the stock market crashed. Where has everyone been ???? Oh, now you try to tell us this is main street's problem ? I would suggest those people have not lived on main street for many years. Oh, also...my husband just was told that his company, Verizon, is going to let over 2,000 employees go this year. Some have already received their pink slips and will be gone in November. So don't tell me that AIG needs another penny!!!! The politicians have been ignoring the SOS from middle America for the past 8 years. Give me a break.

I seems like this mess started with the greed of ceo's receiving millions of dollars. That is absurd and very unfair!! It's crazy!! Why can't something be done about that? With all the money they have received, they should have to give it back and help the bail out!

Hi Robin,

Yesterday I canceled my Netflix subscription, my eharmony.com subscription, my gym membership, my ancestry.com membership, and called to change my comprehensive car insurance to liability only.

After living modestly and saving 10% in my 401K for 20 years, I have lost 50% of that hard-earned money this year.

I do not see the end in sight. How Obama can think he will cut taxes for 95% of the country, when the richest 5% have just lost their shirts in the market and with their capital gain losses won't be paying tax either...is more than enough information to predict that the Great Depression our grandparents always talked about - could soon become our reality.

If the federal government was really trying to fix the economy they would have given every person in America with a social security card and over the age of 18 $5,000 then 2 months later $5,000 more. People would pay on mortgages, cars and debt. Others would have spent, invested or banked it. Housing values would rise because people won't be selling out. Pressure would be off main street and banks would end up with the money anyway. As it is Banks get the money and we are Yep! Screwed again.

The financial crisis is bad but people should be really concerned about where are they are going to spend eternity.I mean if the world was going to end tomorrow,would they go to heaven or hell.My first throught would be about my christianity.I mean without GOD in our lives,we have no future.

President Bush said today that "anxiety" was causing this crisis. I think that "fear and greed" caused this crisis and is indeed making it worse

I THINK THE CEO,VP.AND CONTROLLER OF AIG SHOULD SPEND
TIME IN PRISON NOT A COUNTRY CLUB ONE WHAT THEY HAVE DONE ALONG WITH OTHERS IS CALL STEALING. IN SOME COUNTRYS THEY WOULD CUT OFF THERE HANDS. I HAVE SAVE ALL MY LIFE DONE WITH OUT, LOST$30,000.00 IN MY 401K
AND HAVE TO PAY TAXES SO THEY COUD GET PAMPERD I DO NOT SEE THIS CHANGEING WHIT OBAMA OR MC CAIN I THINK I WILL VOTE INDPENDENTER AND ANY ONE THAT HAS NEVER BE IN ANY
OFFICE BEFORE.WITH THE LOST OF MY 401K NOW YHAT I HAVE HAD MY FIRST HEART ATTACK, I WILL DIE BEFORE I CAN RETIRE.
I PAYED INTO SOCIAL SERCURTY STARTING AT THE AGE OF 11
I WILL SOON BE 58. PS I WATCH EVER MORNING

Hello Robin, From Twin Bridges Mont. What Your staff does'not talk about on the air,Durring Question & Answers.Is That there are many of out here that only a gross income of less then $24,000 Dollars ayear.How others live in Rual towns,Or even Larger Commuities aross the U.S.We listen and hear Washington.And Thay do'not realy hear us.Now There is the converstion of a Depression.While Like Glenn Becks Family and others aswell.Could know someone who lived durring this era.Like My GrandFather,Whom I knew,He was Born In Rual Nebraska in 1907 on a small Cattle Ranch In what is called the Nebraska Sandhills.He talked of using Bacon Grease on Toast.That was heated by The Wood / Coal Burning Cook Stove.Water From a Hand Pitcher Pump or Wind Mill well pump. The Canning of Garden Vegtables,Brining of Meats,Cutting Ice For there Ice House durring the winter.For The Summer's Ice Box.Having and carring for there Live stock,of Cattle,Chickens & Pigs.I was able to Learn much from Him before He pasted away in 1984.Working on that Small Cattle Ranch In the Summers.To learn some of the old ways of Agriculture.There are many moments that stick out in My memories now,One that was repeated about every Year was.You can trace the Fall of a Country Thru it's Decline in Agriculture.Ive always worked In Agriculture In some Way,And still do.By choice.While I Drive a School Bus For Our Rual School Distric aswell.While tring to keep the Wolf from The Door.Which is This Mess on Wall Street that will cost all Americans in some way.Yes Ive Heard Glenn Beck,Go out and Buy some Food,do'not go crazy.Just buy some Food Please.Well Robin/Glenn,I now to Have a 1910 Wood Burning Cook Stove.Box Lanterns and Many Items,From that Era Called The Great Depression.From Flea Markets ,Yard sales,Auctions,and Books.So If needed I can step back into The Yester Years of The Past.Ive'not went Crazy.No,Just Understanding The Times.As Times Past.1929 to 1933.As The U.S. Goverment Tell Us In It's.org ads.Tell You To, Be aware,Be Papared.No matter who becomes The Next President.We still are in hard times.Please Forward This To Glenn Beck aswell.Thank You.From Cordell.

This may seem ignorant to say, but the market has been bloated for to long. The market had to come down after the all time highs of last year. Only seven years ago did the DOW break 10000 for the first time in history. We seem to be getting rid of dead weight in the country and only the strong will survive. Darwin had it right when he postulated Survival of the fittest. I am not some economic guru or even taken more than one economics class in my life. What I do see is people making too much money for themselves and now they are losing it, they are panic stricken. I do not see Warran Buffet standing on the edge of a building. Instead he is pointing at naked peolpe on a beach with a smile on the inside.

Unfortunately I cannot add more than what I wrote over 20 years ago in A DRAGON THIS WAY COMES which predicted a world depression that is going to wind up in a global economic war. I even predicted the 13k level of the DOW and the drop to 8 or 9K level and it is going to be going back up to around 13k. after billions and billion are pumped into the economic system. All of this was said over 20 years ago.

Back to the present:
Why not give the billions to the people who owe the debt? They pay off the debt and keep the deed that comes with the house/condo, etc. This would allow those people to have money to spend and help the economy. BUT...if congress is thinking about GM, Ford & Chrysler going over seas or forming one car company and getting rid of bunch of workers.....hmmm still be in trouble.

Now if Congress bought out all those houses and paid the loans on them, OF COURSE THE GOVT CANNOT OWN PRIVATE HOUSES so sell those house back to the very save banks for PENNIES ON THE DOLLAR (what they are supposed to do anyway.)-but instead, sell it to the person who owns the house/condo/etc at pennies on the dollar, then they can borrow that money from the banks that have already been paid for the loan, and the happy homeowner will have money to spend.

Not doing the above, only puts more money in the superrich pockets.

WE ARE STILL GOING TO HAVE THAT DEPRESSION AND IT IS LESS THAN TWO YEARS AWAY.

Why hasn't anyone suggested that the auto maker go to the oil companies for their financial bail-out. These two have been in bed for years feeding each others profitability at the expense of the environment. In 1996, GM produced the EV1 for lease (see url) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Motors_EV1. The oil companies got scared and forced GM to pull them back, for fear of lost revenue and profit.

With all the record profits in oil over the past 5 years, I recommend the automakers go back to their old buddies for help. The American taxpayer is broke!

Robin So now no raise for Social Security for the next few years. Well maybe our great humane Congress would like to take a cut in pay also I mean it is only fair, Right . I mean we have this high priced congress that can not even agree on anything. I dont know about you but im tired of all this bickering. where does it end? why can't congress take a cut like the rest of the Country. Oh is it true that senators get full pay and benefits at retirement. Well if thats true we need to change that. I do not know anyone that makes that, if so then that need to change. RIDICULOUS Know wonder we are going broke.

Robin I would like to know who unregulated the electrical industry because the only people getting any benefits from it are the company Executives. They make you take a two year contract for a cheaper rate or if you dont want a contract to get the best price you just have to pay 4 or 5 cents more per kilowatt than the other. Like i said if we had the electric companys regulated we as americans would not be getting screwed. This is about right they get richer and we get broker. Thats like a person having to pay three million in taxes and gets a lawyer and only has to pay less than a million so where is the right in that.
None of this is right