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CAN YOU SAY DEPRESSION!!!!!!!!!!!

THE AMOUNT OF MONEY TO SAVE THIS COUNTRY WOULD BE IN THE MULTI-TRILLIONS BASED ON THE POPULATION!!!!!!!!

UNLESS THIS COUNTRY IS READY TO SPEND THAT KIND OF MONEY IT REALLY DOESN'T MATTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Crooks is right.

It seems no one can account for the first lump sum!

CAN YOU SAY DEPRESSION!!!!!!!!!!!

THE AMOUNT OF MONEY TO SAVE THIS COUNTRY WOULD BE IN THE MULTI-TRILLIONS BASED ON THE POPULATION!!!!!!!!

UNLESS THIS COUNTRY IS READY TO SPEND THAT KIND OF MONEY IT REALLY DOESN'T MATTER!!!!
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I can't remember his name just now, but Bernake's predecessor, let him take a stab at this mess, he was at least entertaining with his descriptions of the economic problems

Gotta save all those money people after all ; isn't money Americas god?

Adrian, I second that. Let these banks fail. After all, they haven't loosened up any credit for the consumers. All they've done with the money is to either buy up other companies to make themselves even larger or given out bonuses with the money. The only financial institutions having problems are the ones that made high risk loans because they were greedy. The smaller ones that made sure they only approved loans to qualified people aren't having any trouble, at least not in our area.

Bernanke is on the take, just like Paulson. Where are all the Wall Streeters crying "Socialism".

No more bank bailouts are needed. Let them fall. How very interesting the banks can charge the consumer up to 30% and high in interest rates and charge all kinds of other fees like the loan sharks that were sent to prison in olden days and then turn around and get bailed out by the taxpayer for their screw ups in the mortgage bundling debacles. Let them fall like skittles and then they might get more reasonable with the consumer before the taxpayer gets tougher with them.

First order of business for Obama, fire the nit-wit Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and change the rules back that Bush altered which allowed rich businessmen to loot the U.S. Treasury. Stop borrowing and giving taxpayer money to schiesters! Let them go belly-up - that's part of capitalism. Whatever is left of value will be bought by other businesses that won't be as crooked because they have to operate under fair rules.

Are they kidding? No way in hell should they receive another penny.....

Your comment is awaiting moderation.
EXCUSE ME? You mean the megabanks who took the initial bailout money and used it to buy other banks and to give their officers raises? I think NOT!

Give it to the homeowners faced with losing their homes to find a way to refinance their mortgages, or to get out of them gracefully, and you'll stimulate the economy a LOT more!

OOps!! I meant, please release my comment at 1:20 pm...thank you

Care has to be taken as more of the same can't help. If there is real concern for turning things around then there is one thing that has to be done first, one thing that when not done has proven to make everything else meaningless. That one thing is the development of a sincere and honest concern for getting it right to benefit the majority of Americans, to drop the preoccupation with justifying and rationalizing the self-indulgence and the focus on benefiting Special Interests and a select few, who return benefit. Over the last eight years in particular we have clearly seen and been subjected to the free wheeling and arrogant subterfuge constantly offered to cover over just those actions and we now are living with the total devastation that brings. If the politicians continue to focus on themselves, if the issue is whether Republican or Democrat, or conservative or liberal, if their efforts are really just more disguised manipulation appealing to people’s biases to justify benefit for limited interests, then we will just continue to pay the penalty. The only way they can effectively make the right decisions on how much money to give who, on what qualifications and controls must be put in place, on what regulations and regulatory enforcements have to be enacted, on what comes first and so on, is when they are truly and honestly concerned for more than just what advances their personal interests. Whenever we have seen them expending great energy and rhetoric to block or advance a cause, it has always been for a partisan self-interest, no matter how rationalized. Turning that around should be the real goal; good luck!

Giving the financial system more money may produce short-term stabilization, but it will never provide strength. The key is with people, and if the heads of the banking and financial firms receiving the funding represent the "brightest of the bright," then our system will be in trouble for decades to come.

Years from now, when the US is fully a Third World Nation, we will look back on the recklessness, stupidity and lack of oversight during the Clinton and Bush administrations, and at people such as Bush, Bernanke, Paulson and the entire United States Congress and wonder what happened.

The Bush legacy. Yeah, right.

Okay, so where is MY bailout? My husband & I work everyday. We make enough to get by with a little left over. But we are neck deep in the college loans we needed for our 3 kids and prices on everything are going up & up. God help us if either of us lose a job. But no let's give more money to the Bankers who take home a million or so already. After all these poor folks may have to give up their million dollar bonuses.

You're right Adrian. These are crooks that are taking our money and future. The Fed is illegal and not part of the government (they are privately owned). It is illegal for them to dictate our fiscal policy but most Americans don't know this.

Roll on 2012! We are in for an unbelievabley bad four years.

It will take an authentic reformer to bring America back to health!

Not a dime to banks until they give a transparent, detailed accounting of what they did with the bailout money they have been given and a detailed plan of what they will do with any future money. There should also be an investigation of their books and what they are paying their employees just as the auto companies and workers had to do!

This should include what they are going to do to prevent the same thing from happening all over again.

how do i incorporate as a bank?

If he gets his way we'll all lose our homes...he needs to shut the h- up and back away from the money!!!!!

Just stop, ENOUGH already with the bailouts...let them go bankrupt. time to start helping the WORKING people.

Ben Bernanke needs to be put under a jail for his deceit. All that money's gone to the banks, billions that are being hoarded and what has been spent can't be tracked. How in the "H" do you release billions of dollars and have no way to track it or hold anyone accountable. But yet for the main street peons, we'd have to submit a small life biography and financial history to borrow $20,000 for a car.

I gree with you, Adrian.... They should never have gotten a Bailout, in the first place.....let the chips fall where they may.....The people that have their farms / houses / homes / cars / & everything else Paid For, would be the ones that will come thru.....

Just more corporate welfare... The former Federal Reserve Chairman got us into this mess by lowering interest rates, essentially subsidizing our economy; why shouldn't Bernake continue the subsidies by bailing out more banks? Here's a fresh idea – why don't we let them fail! Capitalism is based on survival in a tough world!!! If the banks fail, who cares?!?! Some of the banks will survive. All Bernake is doing is spending tax dollars and putting off the inevitable.

he was supposed to be in a hearing in DC-

END THE FED

Sure, why not? I'm more than happy to give my tax dollars to CEO bonuses and vacations. They deserve it more than my neighbor who lost there job and could go into forecloser because of it. They did a good job with the first half, did they not?

/sarcasm

Stolen for the second or third time in some cases. They handed out these NINJA loans, packaged them up and sold them to investors. For the most part they didn't loose a dime on them, the investors did and now they are being paid by our government to loan money and aren't doing it. Instead they're buying each other up with the handouts, creating more and more institutions that are to big to fail. They should be busted up into small division that are allowed to sink or swim on their own, not consolidated into mega banks that can do as they please, with little or no government oversight. They're doing the same thing with credit cards raising the rates, because they've sold the debt to an investor at a fixed interest rate and they don't care if you ever pay it or not. A better use of our tax payers money would be for the government to start buying mortgages and burning them. It would have a more positive effect on the economy.

Bernanke, just let Obama handle this situation, I have more faith in him than I do you. You have not exactly handled the economic situation well to-date. More bailouts for financial institutions? The banks that have been helped so far refuse to be held accountable or disclose where the bailout money is being spent...enough already! Obama will bring accountability, you on the other hand will just add to the chaos. With that said, please stand back and let Obama handle the crisis.

Has this stupid man, Bernanke, lost his mind or is he subtly lobbying for a job at CITI once he gets booted as Federal Reserve Chairman. Use the money to create jobs so that families can have money to put in the banks. He wants to make sure all of his friends get those last few $20 million bonuses before the 20th.

NO MORE BAIL OUTS FOR THE WEALTHY THE LOST THE MONEY LET THEM LOSE THEIR JOBS. FRANKLY THEY STINK AT THEIR JOBS IF ONE HASN'T NOTICED.!!!!!!

I would rather give the money to the porn industry.

YOU ARE RIGHT – CROOKS!

The insanity never ends–we expect solutions from the very leaders who caused our country's horrendous problems.

Is he joking? they can not even account for the $ already spent...

yeah they need to start repaying the $ back on the bogus executive bonues and golden parachutes....but of con-artists trying to hussle the taxpayers yet again

We can wait until the new Administration comes in before throwing more money at the banks. We have not seen any improvement in credit availability after throwing $350 billion at America's very disappointing CEOs and we have no idea where the money went.

Bernanke is not the man to manage this issue. He is either disingenuous or panicky. He stampeded Congress into acting without thinking (that's how we got into Iraq). We need a firmer hand at the helm.

Let them fail!! Or re-structure, whatever other companies have to do when they get into trouble. But we should not be giving another dollar to bailing out a failed bank!! The banks that we have bailed out are hoarding all the the money anyway. This is discusting. It's bad enough these jerks got the money without any oversight. I hope Obama replaces that useless Bernanke!

"Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said Tuesday that President-elect Barack Obama's proposed fiscal stimulus package could help the economy..."

It also could NOT help the economy, CNN. Tell both sides. Journalism 101.

Why do they keep throwing money to the financial institutions??? No transparency, no real oversight, no criminal prosecution (at least not that we're seeing & certainly not ENOUGH!).....

Why isn't the idea of distributing a large ($100,000+) amount of cash to each citizen being seriously considered??? I believe that that would do more for the economy and more for the morale of the American people than anything else – and would certainly provide more "bang for the buck".

Amazing how they can keep saying that the banks need more money.

1 – The can't say for sure where the firstt 350B went.
2 – They say the plan is working without showing any meaningful proof
3 – Think another 350B is going to solve the problem.

I have yet to hear of an employer cutting back on jobs because of lack of loans from banks.

If the money isn't being spent on ways to increast MEANINGFUL jobs and business, then it should taken out of the budget.

Why are any of these guys still dealing with Federal dollars? They should be removed immediately.

CAN YOU SAY DEPRESSION!!!!!!!!!!!

THE AMOUNT OF MONEY TO SAVE THIS COUNTRY WOULD BE IN THE MULTI-TRILLIONS BASED ON THE POPULATION!!!!!!!!

UNLESS THIS COUNTRY IS READY TO SPEND THAT KIND OF MONEY IT REALLY DOESN'T MATTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The answer? No. Let them claim bankruptcy like everyone else.

Bernanke: More bank bailouts needed

Let Bernanke bail them out on his own.
The tax payers are sick and tired of this comedy. How about a bail out for them, you know, the average struggling Americans...?

Are you kidding me? This is one of the biggest frauds ever pulled on this country.

I can not beleive our government is giving the the banks another dime of our money. They spent the last $350 billion with out accounting for one red cent. I suspect it went to there saleries and Christmas bonuse's it sure wasn't given out in loans, to stimulate the economy. I know the politicans are owned by the lobbies like Christ Dodd. Thats why the banks get away with charging us 30% on credit cards.Do any of our elected officals paid by us the tax payer represent us the tax payers. Didn't they see the polls we were against the last TARP bail out, why don't they vote our opions and feeling on matters they claim to represent us. Tlks cheap, I guess we will have to keep voting them out until we get one's that represent the people of this country and not special interest. These Banks Bank rupted themselfs and this country with the crooked politicans are helping ruine my children and grand childrens futures. I fought in two wars but now realize who the real enemy is selling our country to the commenist is. Our politicans. These banks would not qualify for a loan why don't we treat them the same way there treat us. Let AIG and the banks reap what they sowed and and us not throw good money after bad they have provent the money managment skills. Some lower level solvent banks will buy them up. Let the free market takes it course. They ought to fire the top 25 % of there staff for a start. Bush, Chenney and Dodd and there bought off political croney's have ruined our country one I fought for and it may not ever recover. I know who the enemy is now. The Communist have won.

Bernanke makes Alan Greenspan look like a noble prize winning economist when neither of them know any more about handling money than the average "Joe on the street" does.

At least, we "Joe's on the street" can balance our checkbooks and keep from deficit spending.

These two people cannot find their way out of a paper bag.

Wow,the carpet bagger is back for more.I guess he figured he better come get this bag instead of sending poor old Henry over.

STOP spending OUR money!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yeah I bet he wants more bank bailouts... where did he put the other $350Billion?? What did he get out of that??

I hope they put so many restrictions on these companies!

Please no more bank bailouts. They are killing the American people.

We are headed for a full time DEPRESSION america...get ready. All this nonsence bailout won't work.

One question.

WHO IS PAYING FOR THIS?!?

Some of these companies just got to go. They can't all be saved from their own greed and incompetence. Enough already. Let the chips fall where they may!

Bailing out financial institutions is one thing, but handling the situation the way this administration has done is another.
Promising one thing and doing another, keeping their actions secret, answering to no one, and manipulating the banking environment to the benefit of friends of Paulson was not the intent of the bail-out.

Crooks.

I feel like I am having money stolen from me right beneath my eyes and I am not capable of doing a thing.

I don't want to see another dollar

EXCUSE ME? You mean the megabanks who took the initial bailout money and used it to buy other banks and to give their officers raises? I think NOT!

Give it to the homeowners faced with losing their homes to find a way to refinance their mortgages, or to get out of them gracefully, and you'll stimulate the economy a LOT more!

He's referring to Citi Group in a nutshell. That humpty dumpty has fallen and no amount money can save it.

I SAY LET THE IVORY TOWERS FALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Let them fail. No more bank bailouts. Bernanke is in the business of protecting the people that created this mess in the first place. It is outragious that these businesses top people continue to get their undeserved high pay and rewards. Where is the OVERSIGHT. NO WHERE !!! The Congress allowed this to happen. It is time to end the uncontrolled greed. It is time to let all these businesses fail. It is called Karma, cause and effect. Amen.

No way. NO. Enough! We don't even know what they did with the LAST money we gave them! Now he wants to give them more?

Well, sure, you all did such a good job of vaporizing $350B, we should give you more. And our inept congress was so stoooopid as to not put any oversight in place about how it was to be spent.

The Democrats and Republicans have consistently shown their ineptitude at anything related to the economy. The Bush-Obama-McCain Bailout (BOMB) was the worst thing for the economy. It took our tax money and gave it to the same people who messed up and then had no accountability. Now Obama wants MORE?

This is ridiculous. Stop wasting our tax money!!!

Bernanke needs to go! While he's leaving ,he can take Barney "Rubble" Frank with him. If these clowns are watching over the disbursement of the bailout funds, we really are in deep trouble.

Please don't give that man another penny to bail out the global financial system. I hope congress will be smart and realize that bail out is going towards the rich who have invested heavily and are losing their shirts. Hey we the little people have been losing our shirts for years now and no one is bailing us out. (Pull yourselves up by your boot strings) Welcome to our world.

Throw the banks outside in the cold. The government should just take over and lend people money. It's the government's money anyway that the banks are lending to the consumers.

Bail out the people who need help so they don't lose their homes, before bailing out the monolothic corporate behemoths.

Why more bank bailouts? It's just another form of trickle-down economics and it still hasn't done anything to help the economy. Why not divide the rest of the money and give equal amounts to every tax-paying citizen and let us save ourselves from the economic failures foisted on us by the banks and Wall Street. Why not let US decide which businesses should be bailed out? Don't they trust us? Or are they just worried that we won't re-invest in their golden parachutes?

everyone needs a bailout.

I DONT THINK SO.

Where is Paulson ???

I say, "Don't give the banks another penny! After all they can't even account for the nearly 4 billion they've already spent. Tax payers still can't get a loan, or a reduction on their mortgage payments/interest. Businesses still are closing left & right because they can't get loans to make payroll or invest in their own product or manufacturing. Give the money directly to the tax payer so he/she can pay their mortgage arrears to save their home. Give the money directly to the businesses so they can pay their employees, invest in their product. Then employees can buy, pay more taxes & the economic wheel continues to turn. Everyone is successful. Imagine that!!!!!" ACCOUNTABILITY!!!

I don't know but for some reason, I feel like I'm smarter than this guy ...anybody with me?? No? Yes? Just saying...

Let me give you some advice. Next time, when you do something that you don't even know what you did, my next best solution is to make sure money is put where it can thrive our system not jetlag it for a couple months. Money creates opportunity, alright Ben?? It creates business, understand Ben?? More lending to Banks?? First of all, giving more money to a bank is like feeding a fat kid more food when he doesn't need it...hey, and I love food, LOL!!

If there is somebody who needs that money is California. That state may need it more to revive itself than to stand up. And you know it sucks when you have to re-evaluate everything.

You know, for starters Ben, maybe, just maybe, small business may need it. Just to give you an example Ben...

And why wouldnt we give them (the banks) more money? They did so well with the first $350 Billion. Are there any smaller banks left for them to buy up with taxpayer money?

No, no, no !

The banks should have NEVER been bailed out to begin with.....you are just trying to prevent in inevitable....let the beast fail and the ones who stand will go forward......

CAN YOU SAY DEPRESSION!!!!!!!!!!!

THE AMOUNT OF MONEY TO SAVE THIS COUNTRY WOULD BE IN THE MULTI-TRILLIONS BASED ON THE POPULATION!!!!!!!!

UNLESS THIS COUNTRY IS READY TO SPEND THAT KIND OF MONEY IT REALLY DOESN'T MATTER!!!!!!!!!!

This guy has got to be kidding!

He can't account for the money he already gave away.

Heck with the banks, give it to the taxpayers, WE will stimulate the

economy!

give me 2 million and then I won,t care who gets what.

not to be a back seat driver with handing out bailouts but at what point should we begin to worry about this little economic term called moral hazard. yeah, you know the term that was preached to us all in econ. 101.

The bailout will not solve our economic problems. Spending more on bailouts will just make the problem worse. The government should stop playing God and let the economy reach equilibrium using supply and demand.

We really do need to rethink what it means to be 'successful'. It doesn't always mean this year's profits are 10% greater than last year's profits.

Absolutely no more bailouts! What did they do with the $300 billion they already stole? No more looting of the Treasury! These people all belong behind bars.

Heres the biggest crook around,along with his pal Paulson.

This guy is the biggest crook on Earth.He and Paulson have already stolen at least 2 trillion dollars from the American people so they can feed their pet tapeworm.

Are you for real ? Iam a small business in small town in NC and can't get a single loan to keep the business afloat.. more bailouts...no more for the bank until they guantee that they will lend to the small people like us.. youhave got to be kidding me !!!!!

Uh, I don't think so Ben!

Let them go, or save themselves.

They refuse to extend credit to businesses who have to then let go of employees or shut down. Those banks that have credit cards are raising fees and lowering credit lines on people who have paid these cards on time for years adversely affecting their credit for no reason. The taxpayers bail them out, and they continue to squeeze us for more money while refusing to tell us what happened to the money they already received.

I am sick of being beat about the head and face by those that have while being told that it is my fault I may lose everything I have worked for the last 35 years because I am stupid and lazy. Surely I am not the only one who feels this way.

I watched part of the IOUSA show Sunday night and one of the commentators made a comment that made perfect sense. You can't call it a tax cut if it causes the national deficit to go up and defers the tax burden to future generations.

As individuals and as a Nation, we need to bite the bullet now and get our spending under control. We need a more balanced budget and we can't lay most of the burden for paying for things on the 5% of the households who make more than $200,000 per year.

We need to rethink the definition of what it means to be successful.

resign immediately – go on drooling tour with andrea mitchell's husband.

No..............not another dime to banks. Financial system, Ben???
The American People are the "financial system" – not the scum bankers who won't account for the FIRST 350 billion !

Let the weak institutions go under and the stronger banks take their spot.

Ah......what the heck.....Barney Frank will give them whatever they want – same as the first time. Yea Barn.........sure.....Bush messed it up – not you....

More bailouts please! Some CEOs of failed banks didn't get their millions from the taxpayers yet!

Yeah Bennie-boy, give more money to banking executives to boost their personal bonuses, more to board of directors so they can vote themselves increases of their salaries.

This country's been looted by Ben's friends. What Benny-boy says now is self-serving garbage.

Where was Ben when the sub-prime mortgage fraud was in progress? Many economists pointed out in 2006 and 2007 that this crash would happen, but Ben said everything was fine.

Ben is a Bush suck-up.

Yeah! Thats right I need more money for all my wealthy friends on Wall Street before Bush is gone! Because on Jan 20th the money train will be promptly leaving the station and basically all bets are off as far as you're free ride on the taxpayers dime goes! So get it while you can boys! The party is almost over!

How about we first find out what happened to the money given to the banks in the last bailout before we go throwing more money at this problem? What's the point if there is no accountability?

Debt truly has replaced the ball and chain...

NO..NO..NO MORE BAIL-OUT MONEY FOR THE RICH!
this is a disgrace and the american people should not stand for it. obama can not let this happen. the banks have stolen the first billions in my opinion to help themdelves with bonus and high salaries to the very ones that destroyed the company. i say NO MORE EVER!!

What's the difference between "Bored, anonymous, pathetic bloggers" and Ann Coulter and Michelle Malkin? Anonymity is all.

Put this man in jail and shut him up. If the banks want more money, send them to China. Let them work for it.

STOP GIVING MY MONEY TO THE FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS.

People need to go to jail over this.

More bailouts while they waste what they've already received? Not on my tax dollar, thank you.

Why don't they create a program that will allow the individual homeowner to prove the financial hard ship and apply for the funds to pay for the home, then pay the US government back with a very low interest loan. This would get the money to the financial institutions and help the honeowner.
I'm struggling to keep my home and they have spent $350 billion to bail out AIG and all of these financial institutions, but I'm not seeing any benefit from my tax dollars. Why don't they help the little guy help themselves, then that would help the big guy as well.

Tell the American people what happened to the $350b of the TARP and then maybe they'll believe you when you open your mouth.

This guy is unbelievable!!!

Someone slap this man. Please.

er, reverse that.... either way bad idea.

I am sorry, but no. We need to let the market correct itself. Throwing bad money at good will only make things worse.

bail out!

NO!!!!!!!!!!!!