At a time when Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke described the current state of the nation’s economy as unlike any crisis in America’s history, it’s not surprising that Americans find little comfort in the idea of spending $700 billion to clean up after those who put their own greed above the well being of taxpayers in the first place.
And yet, Wall Street firms want Congress to rush approval of an economic plan that will reach deep into the pockets of future generations of Americans and cost families up to $10,000 per household. Shouldn’t our nation’s leaders slow down before billions of taxpayer dollars are haphazardly spent on financial companies that have yet to be named?
Congress should not rush through a plan just so members can return to their election campaigns. That is why Public Citizen teamed up with Consumer Watchdog to demand that our leaders develop a better cure for our nation’s economy.
The government’s plan to solve the economic crisis was put together in just a matter of days and could easily put our hard-earned taxpayer dollars at risk. As Public Citizen President Joan Claybrook (pictured above) stated:
Rushing through a $700 billion package will blow open the doors of the Treasury for unprecedented graft and corruption. Congress must put their constituents’ interest ahead of their own political agendas.
Take action now by joining the fight to let your voice be heard over the greed of Wall Street firms. Sign our petition and demand that Congress put consumers first.
Bruce
Yes, I’m happy to support Public Citizen! I put the post on my blog AND emailed all my friends to sign the petition.
September 25, 2008 at 12:01 pm
Joe Newman
Thanks Bruce. We’ve had a tremendous response to the petition, thanks to concerned folks like yourself.
September 26, 2008 at 1:26 pm
A blank check for billionaires! « citizenvox.org
[...] across the country by people who aren’t eager to back a Wall Street bailout. Last week, Public Citizen offered Congress a set of recommendations to make sure the bailout protects the interests of consumers. The plan that the U.S. House rejected [...]
October 1, 2008 at 4:00 pm
Joan Bonnell
I’m totally against any bailout. I think the whole thing is an effort to ram through even MORE money for people who are wealthier than I care to imagine. If the government is worried about tight credit and jobs all it has to do is buy back the mortgages like it did during the depression and invest in improvements in infrastruction, reinstate all the laws that would have prevented this mess and hire the people necessary to see that it doesn’t happen again. Trust me, a lot more people would be working if everything in this country that required oversight actually got it. These guys are all scammers. They’ve been scaring us left and right for 8 years. I say no more. This is our chance to take back our economy. We shouldn’t give Wall STreet a cent. Do you really believe credit will dry up that much- I don’t. Bernanke & Paulsen are liars and complicit in this mess. Why trust them? What have they done for us? All our financial bigheads have come from Wall STreet- why wouldn’t they try and protect/save their friends? Why should I do it, why should you?
October 1, 2008 at 7:06 pm
Les
I am against a bail out of the financial giants!
Greed has created this house of cards that is coming down.
Washington politics has a big part in this also. The career
politics with legislation like Community Reinvestment Act
was PC motivated and now Congress is going to offer another
fix! Credit is still available to responsible people!
They are using scare tactics to make Americans think the sky
is falling. It isn’t going to be a fun ride, but America will
continue and recover from this mess.
October 2, 2008 at 4:41 am
Brother WilliamX
I am going to post something everyday against our so-called
government misusing tax payers dollars to bail Billion and
millionaires out of troubled wall street. What is wrong with
the Senate in Washington? Now the bill is back in the House?
I hope that the House in Washington reject the bill again.
Why don’t Congress, the Senate, and the House on capital
hall stop the Iraq war, and that would save money. I do
wonder what would this country’s founding Fathers would
say about how screwed up this country is financially?
Another thing is we the people are scared sh******, due
to the fact that we do not recall officials who are not doing
the right thing in our local, state, and federal government,
and there is law to backup the rights to recall after a six
months peroid.
I am against taking from the poor, and giving it to the rich.
Not only am I one of the founders of Citizens Against Corrupted Politicians. I am a active member of the National
and Michigan Welfare Rights Union, and we do believe in
fighting for Human Rights. Which is something that you all
should believe in, and take a stand against our human
rights violations.
Its okay to e-mail me with your agreements or disagreements.
Just do it in a respectfully manner, and again you can always read my comments here on Citizenvox.
October 2, 2008 at 8:33 am
Joseph Wexler
Any bill of this size and value must take time to craft properly. A short term bill can be passed in the amount of 20 billion dollars for temporary use and a larger amount when the new president is inaugurated. Stop the headlong rush on such an important matter.
October 2, 2008 at 9:57 am
Roy Johnson
The Federal Reserve Bank is a PRIVATE institution and as such it should NOT have regulatory control over Government agencies such as the FDIC and the SEC. It definitely should have NO CONTROL whatsoever over the Department of Treasury.
If Government officials have conflicts of interest, such as Treasury Secretary Paulson also being part of the International Monetary Fund, then they MUST BE REMOVED from office and other positions of authority immediately. We must stop this takeover of our Government!
October 2, 2008 at 10:53 am
Is anyone listening? « citizenvox.org
[...] is our new video on the bailout. As we’ve been saying, Congress must put consumers first in whatever legislation they pass. This bailout should not be an [...]
October 2, 2008 at 11:17 am
Congress should reject flawed bailout bill « citizenvox.org
[...] We strongly urge Congress to reject the bailout bill and return to the drawing board. Members of Congress who support the bill should at a minimum commit to return to this issue as soon as possible – to provide consumer protections and re-regulate the financial services industry. If Congress wants to solve this country’s problems, it must start with a plan that addresses the needs of voters. [...]
October 2, 2008 at 5:32 pm
Brother WilliamX
My Organization is strongly against the Government using
the tax payers as scapegoats. Here in the Detroit area we
are planning on organizing a DON’T USE OUR MONEY WRONG
rally. As far back as I recall every war has been financed with
the tax payers dollars, and today look at the money WALL ST
has invested into the middle east war.
Their lie was supporting Bush to remove Saddam from power.
Yet they can’t catch Osama Bin Ladin, and they are still using
our dollars. Wall Street is a big investor in the Oil market, but
now they have wasted their own investment $$$$$$, and
they wants us (the tax payers) to bail their a**es out..I say No Way.
Those Senators and House Reps who is signing the bailout
should be removed from office. Do you call that representing
the best interest of citizens? All levels of the United States
government should block all outsiders from coming into this
country living seven years tax free.
In closing, I served in Viet Nam for four years, but after me
thinking that my country was proud of my services, and after
coming home I have developed a differance picture of this
government. They are violating our citizens rights on the daily
bases, and they do not give a damn about you or me.
Not even the people that you and I vote into a political office
to represent us. You (CItizens) see how we are being screwed, and until we stop kissing butts with recalls we will
be at the same spot 75 years from now.
October 5, 2008 at 10:37 am