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Bailout is 'rescue' scam
| Thursday, Oct 9 2008 6:03 PM
Last Updated: Friday, Oct 10 2008 8:49 AM
TIME TO FIRE LEADERS
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What a joke! The Senate did not change anything in the first bailout bill. They just added pork. The American people should recall all of them.
Why isn't Henry Paulsen fired along with chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission Chris Cox and Rep. Barney Frank? If we failed at our job so terribly, we would be fired.
This is a shame. But I am so proud that so many Americans e-mailed their representatives and senators and let them know they were not for the bailout.
Now I hope that people losing their homes don't get a free bailout. They should have to pay for their whole loan. They signed on the dotted line. SANDI MURRAY
Bakersfield
SENATORS WORKING HARD?
OK, Bakersfield, we can all breathe easier. The U.S. Senate not only voted for the "bailout plan" — oh, excuse me, "rescue plan" — to the tune of $700 billion, but also included, as an enticement for the U.S. House of Representatives, millions for children's wooden arrow manufacturers, tax breaks for stock car racetrack owners and, of course, Virgin Island rum.
We were told the country is going to hell in a handbasket if we don't "bail out/rescue" the toxic mortgage loans. Almost 90 percent of constituents screamed at their law makers: No! So the senators said give us a chance and they hand us wooden arrows, a glass of rum and stock car racing. Yeah, that'll do it.
Can we please fire all those involved, let them join the 7 percent-plus unemployment line and get others in their place who can look at this seriously?
KEVIN KUSEK
Bakersfield
TIME TO CLEAR THE SLATE
Our current financial crisis was completely foreseeable. It is hard to believe our elected officials have let us down to this degree. We have a $700 billion bailout bill (now over $840 billion, thanks to the added pork). This huge amount of money is just the tip of the iceberg and those who wrote this piece of rubbish are witnessing states like our own asking for more!
I didn't hear any of them go on record to say they even believed the bill would work. What we can be sure of is that this is just another step toward socialism — on the backs of the American taxpayers.
This is not just a Democratic or Republican fiasco. There is plenty of blame to go around. I am ready to fire them all! If I see "incumbent" on a ballot in the upcoming election years, I am voting against that candidate unless I see a consistent voting record I agree with. It is time to clear the slate and start over.
Many businesses may soon fail, putting numerous people out of work. This may be time for these elected officials who have taken their jobs for granted to be accountable, or be dismissed. KITTY BERCHTOLD
Bakersfield
BIGGEST SCAM IN HISTORY
We just handed a trillion dollars over to a bunch of people who cleaned out Social Security to fund their own special interests. We just entrusted an amount few people can comprehend to people who couldn't run a small business. And the smiles on their faces when they got this — anybody ever heard of the cat who swallowed the canary? These guys just swallowed a trillion of them.
Anyone who believes this is going to actually fix the problems does not understand politicians. They're making it up as they go — with a trillion dollars. Now that they have the money, they have to figure out how to spend it. Where were the experts? Who gets to decide how the money is spent?
No, this may be one of the biggest scams in this nation's history. And everybody went along, even though the people said "no!" So now they can do whatever they want and we don't count. DAREN ENGSTROM
Bakersfield
LIVE WITHIN YOUR MEANS
A commentator recently announced it wouldn't be easy to get a loan for granite countertops, adding that everyone wants one.
Another, who warned the bailout's full effects won't be felt for a long time, advised getting your credit scores up. A lawmaker expressed disgust over voting on a bailout bill filled with pork.
The house I grew up in was the only house I lived in with my parents. We had the same countertops the whole time and no one complained. My parents sent their children to college with what they could have spent "keeping up with the Joneses."
Living within your means and making sound financial decisions gives you options. It's a brilliant concept for government, business and families. If we don't learn from this mess, I suspect there will be very few new cars, granite countertops and "move up" homes in our future. We'll just have to learn to live within our means and possibly our savings if anything is left.
Government will struggle to make a comeback and businesses will go belly up. Well-educated people will have to take any job they can get. If this seems unbelievable to some, talk to someone who raised by parents who weathered the Depression. CAROLINE REID
Bakersfield
GO MCCARTHY!
The last couple of weeks have found our nation in turmoil. Our elected officials were asked to respond to our "banking crisis" by approving legislation that is packed with flaws and will have long reaching effects for generations to come.
The situation we find our country in is the result of many factors over several years and yet we were informed that the time was short to react in order to divert a national collapse of our economy. Did no one see this coming?
Thank you, Congressman Kevin McCarthy, for having the guts to stand up for the many Americans who are "doing the right thing" and, though they struggle, have stayed in homes that are worth less than they owe. More time was needed to work through the details of this far-reaching legislation, to ensure credit can continue and those truly in trouble could be aided.
I appreciate that McCarthy voted against the bailout. CHRIS FRANK
Bakersfield