EDITORIAL: Bailout battleground

The part of this that will determine the presidential election is the candidate that provides the right assurances that it won't cost the taxpayers and it won't happen again. Increasing taxes to fight the upper class might work up to the point the taxes put private corporations out of business and the Congress takes over. When that happens, get ready for another bailout. Socialism is not compatible to free market economics. They have to be regulated like the UK, Germany and France.

• If you want to see the real facts behind the meltdown, please check out this youtube video. It is not your typical slant and goes back to the Carter years and tracks every fact and detail through the present time. All the facts check out and every voter should see it before they make up their minds. I believe many will be outraged. It's an eye opener. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NU6fuFrdC...

I have read the proposition with its ridiculous 300 + pages of additional bribes to get both democrat and republicans to sign on. Nothing more than coating poison pills with candy. This situation has been falsely characterized as a national emergency that has no other solution that HR 1424, which MUST be voted on immediately or our nation will crumble. This had not been proven to us as citizens. We call for patience and the offering of new and better solutions. Americans do not trust our congressional representatives, who have created this dilemma, to solve it. We demand that those in charge of the different financial committees resign, such as Barney Frank and Chris Dodd. We demand that Washington file criminal charges against those who chaired these committees, just as they did the Enron executives, for malfeasance. And our leaders, in both houses, need to issue an apology to the American people for their negligence. A new bill must be proposed that: A. Does NOT socialize the American banking and mortgage industry, but allows for American private purchase of these mortgages at a reasonable cost. It should also disallow foreign investments into this process. B. Congress should enact some type of oversight to Hedge funds that does not so over-regulate as to send that money to overseas markets. This situation has caused a fundamental shift in American attitude and trust towards our government. If there is crucial information you have withheld that makes this present bill the only possible solution, then tell us, because we are reasonable, intelligent citizens. But if you push this bill through without American consent, you will do so much damage to American patriotism it will take generations to heal. Congress, do not patronize us by preaching that to be good citizens we must vote and let our representatives know what is our will, and then ignore us. Ben Stein has it right when he says we have turned into a kleptomocracy—a country run by thieves (both in Washington and on Wall Street).

Right on Thetesater! In view of the Soviet Style Show Trials now being promulgated against republicans, I say it's time we showed a little 'balance' and brought some obviously guilty democrats (especially those greed-driven 'chairmen') before the bench to be 'show-trialed' by a team of a 'conservative' prosecutor and judge.