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Barney Frank is part of the problem – in the housing crisis. He would know a lot about mismanagement of funds, and golden parichutes! And talk about hypocrits – all the members of congress ALSO fly in private jets and they produce nothing (not like the auto industry that makes cars) – just take our money to pay for thier lifestyles, vote themselves raises and whatever else they want – they take. What about global warming? What about all the private jets that flew in for the inaugeration – did they operate on solar power? What about the financial crisis of the country? They complain about the cost of war and then what do they do?!? They want to implement a 1.5 trillion dollar (or more) bail out... OMG! Where does it end? Oh yeah – in thier pockets!!! I am sick of it!

Isn't it funny that when the auto industry comes to Washington for a loan, they get the private jet issue thrown up in their faces, but when the bankers and Wall Street show up with their hands out asking for 20-30 times more money, everyone has lockjaw. Maybe it's just the difference in perception between those who actually make a product and those who invent ways to swindle you out of your money...who knows?

Nothing can ever be accomplished if politicians are too squeamish to step on a few toes. FOR THE GOOD OF THE PEOPLE means ALL of the people, not just a vested few. Rather than trying to bail out an endless list of corrupt failing businesses, OUR money would be best spent developing the new businesses that will take their place in the void. America does not cling to the backs of giant corporations and will not drown with them. Rather, it is the small enterprises that form the backbone of our once great country. So send a message to Washington!

Let's put the blame where it belongs. Congress things it is better than the public. If members of Congress would do the same to themselves as the rest of the population, there would be less lack of respect for the higher living gang.

While Barney is at it, he ought to get the Congressional jets under control, particularly Nancy Pelosi's 727 that she uses to fly her entourage back and forth to California on the long weekends she and the rest of the Congress take. Congress needs to work a full week and tighten up on their own perks before they get too personal with industry execs.

Hey...............Bush didn't fly a J3 Piper Cub or a commercial airline back to Texas yesterday.............He flew in the 747 (Air force One) that hardly even uses any fuel.............Go figure !!!! Maybe........just maybe a private jet or heavens forbid .............A COMMERCIAL AIRLINE might have been better. Maybe he should have driven a HYBRED AUTOMOBILE to Texas............It would have been a lot cheaper and he could have kept the car after the trip for free for the diffarence in fuel costs, etc. Go Washington and Mr. Franks...................!!!!!!!!

I don't think there should be any limits on Executive Compensation. These men, all across corporate America, work hard for their millions. It is far better to give it all to them than to give it to shareholders, union workers, or employees of companies.

Barney Frank is a smart man. I think he is a good man. I don't think this is anything more than window dressing.

On the other hand it illustrates how shortsighted Government can be – as is Wall Street – as if a few peopl not being able to fly for bailout money on jets if they've received funding (meaning they would have to buy comercial tickets) is going to somehow damage a company, state economy, or industry.

The nice thing about people who smoke cigarrettes is that at least they take time for reflection. Like Barry.

Personally, I agree with Barney Frank and I'm pretty sure not a single one of you has a realistic idea about how much owning a private jet costs. Its not just about buying the plane once; you also have to pay for fuel, storage, upkeep, and your pilot. It is the definition of a luxury, not a necessity. And if you are coming to DC to beg for money with your tail in between your legs, leave your private jet at home. Shell out $150 to fly commercial. I promise, no matter how you look at it, its a much less expensive way to fly.

Any child can get mad after the fact and through a tantrum ... Frank.

If congressmen had a brain, they'd see problems before hand and mitigate the problems proactively.

I completely agree with Diane. My wife who worked at Fedex on the GM account told me the same thing. These people should be forced to repent with some form of reinbursement and the managers who closed their eyes fired on the spot! It's about time we make the "bums" accountable!

Our law makers have known to be among the several free loaders who used corporate jets extensively. So if the corporations sell away their jets, where will they go for a free ride? Surely not the current President's Defence or Transportation Dept will step in to help them!

Jim Ledbetter:

In the fourty-one years I have been out of the military and in the work force I have encountered unions on many occasions. They and they alone are the cause of the problems we face today. They are the reason companys close down in the US and nove to other countries. I have said for fourty years that unions will destroy this country.I was right, so screw you.

It's not cost effective for American carmaker CEOs to travel via commercial. Think about this now, in 2007, GM CEO Wagoner took in nearly $16 million in compensation. 5 business days for 52 weeks in a year, that's 260 days, not counting vacation days. Say they work 9 hours a day, that's $60,000+ per day, nearly $7,000 per hour.

Someone please check me if my math is off, but if they have to check-in, jump flights, switch gates, wait inbetween flights not to mention delays, go to the baggage terminal, much less WALK then that token gesture of flying commercial (driving?!) just cost their company more money than they would save if they flew private.

I'd say the real reason is he doesn't want to call attention to his buddy Nancy's private jet (the new one she insisted on because she wanted to fly non-stop) that she uses at tax payer expense to fly back and forth to California. Goodness knows, if they start adding that kind of stuff to bills, we might start looking at what they're using our money on.

Frank and Dodd are just 2 of the people who are in this financial crisis elbows deep.

Frank is a moron. In mid 2008, he said Fannie and Freddie were sound and the commotion was just going to slow the lending of subprimes.

Dodd was getting sweetheart loans from Countrywide... gosh, i wonder why.

Crooks.

why don't we ask how much the taxpayer's pay to have palosi and the others fly on the private planes? surely they are not too good to fly commerical are they? i mean what is good for the goose is good for the gander, right?????

and one more thing when is the public going to stop blaming the bush administrator for the economy and start asking mr. frank how poor the economy has done under his watch for the last 2 plus years.......

Sure. Frank and Nancy hmmmmm has a nice Ring maybe they could both audition for West Wing reruns. Fiction is norm there!

Please be aware that anything comming from Barney Frank is without substance. He is one of those responsible for the morgage industry failing to the degree it has failed. It is more important to Frank to gain votes for re-election than to do what is best for America.

Now, if we could just get Nancy Pelosi to stop using hers.....

Way, what do you think, loobing, from aeroespece industry? Maybe not.

Good ole Barney saw the 600 plus private jets parked all over the east coast for the coronation of Nobama. Why do you think he changed his mind?

The news stated that over 600 personal jets flew into Washington D.C. to see Obama innaugurated, thus causing the single most man made GLOBAL WARMING event in history.

Gotta love those libs, Do as I say, not as I do.

Franks is a real idiot and he should be fired. He watched all this happening to America and did not say a word. He is a fool who is now trying to back track and cover his own mistakes. I am as liberal as they come and happily voted for Obama but Franks is an outright fool. He thinks he can make big speeches and growl real loud and we will all forget that this happened while he was the head of the finance committee. Please Franks: sit down and shut up!!!!!

Why not start at the top? Air Force One is a private jet funded by taxpayers to fly the highest executive in the country (paid by taxpayers).

If it's a good idea (highly unlikely, considering the source), let's set the tone at the top.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with executives using their jets. These corporate "toys" become corporate necessities when an executive reaches the CEO status. At that level, executives need to spend more time thinking about business at hand than booking their tickets or waiting at airports. It's the same as we probably shouldn't be asking the President of the United States to take commercial flights. This is not part of executive compensation. It's part of running the business.

Executive compensation, however, is another story. Cash taken out should be directly related to profits earned.

Odd (or perhaps not) that SIU didn't mention that Senate Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) demanded that the government, in the form of the U.S. Air Force, provide her with its equivalent of a corporate jet to run her around wherever she wanted to go, whenever she wished. She then rejected the first aircraft offered as it was too small to carry her and her entourage. I suppose she feels lucky that she is a senator, not a CEO. I guarantee that the cost of flying one of those planes is nearly as much as for a private aircraft of the same type (perhaps more, given the way the government spends money) and every penny of the operating cost comes from the taxpayers.

See how awkward it is when government tries to get this intimately involved in private industries? This is a very small example of a very big problem. The bailouts overall will very likely be big examples of the same big problem and then we all will have learned an expensive lesson.

How Barney Frank's district keeps reelecting him time after time is a major mystery. Someone must be dumping mind control drugs in the water supply.

Well since it's technically impossible for any problem to have more than one factor we should put the Union on one side of a coin and the Execs on the other. We can finally figure out who messed this up.

Also how on earth is it cheaper to fly a corporate jet unless you're filling it to capacity everytime?

I think it's a good idea that they should have to sell their corporate luxuries to get tax payer money, and to the thought that an executive can't conduct business without a corporate jet? Were you actually being serious? It's a perk and makes their lives easier and not a necessity.

But I agree with you 100% juniorb, it's just not that important right now.

I would just like to remind that although nuthing untoward has happened since 9-11 like 9-11, but commercials still have their moments (i.e. US Airways recent lucky close call). They are not a safe bet, and if you have options ... use them. I would seriously question these executives judgment if they did took commercial, appearances notwithstanding .. appearances aren't always what they seem ...

I think Franks and Dodd should be removed for the mess with the housing markets. People blame Bush for everything when these 2 are to blame for the Mortgage mess.

legal in nc -- common sense – prioritizing. Besides, they are in this mess not because of their jetsetting but because of their ineptitude, among other things.

Ah yes, let's complain about Corporate America and their extravagance in air travel. Hrmm, well then again aren't SENATORS and CONGRESSMEN allowed to utilize "corporate" transportation"? How about THIS America...next time Corporate Government no-loads want to raise your taxes to pay for more pork in Washington let's tell THEM they have to start walking to work and give up all THEIR perks of the job. You'll find that they'll start back-peddling pretty fast. NO ONE has a better RETIREMENT and HEALTH CARE system than our GOVERNMENT! Their retirement is pretty simple....they just don't show up for work anymore. The pay doesn't change and neither do the benefits for them and their family for LIFE! uh huh. can't you just SMELL the equality now!!

@Diane.You must be a CEO,making 400 times the average laborers.Stop telling outright lies and listening to the likes of Limbaugh the commie.

Shouldn't we investigate members of congress who fly corporate jets or larger? I've seen posted that Nancy Pelosi flys back to California in a 200 seat jet aircraft at a cost to the taxpayers of $60,000 each trip.

THANK YOU SEN BARNEY FRANK. THE BIG EXECUTIVES ALL OVER THE COUNTRY ALL THOUGH OUT INDUSTRY REGARDLESS SHOULD COME DOWN TO EARTH AND BEGIN THINKING AND LIVING IN THE REAL WORLD. TO MUCH FOR TO LONG!!!!!!

Barney Frank was correct the first time, Dennis Moore needs to go. Just because the big three should not fly corporate jets to ask for money doesn't mean the whole aircraft industry will fail. And don't talk about time is money?? if corporate exec's did their jobs they would not be in a mess. Where does everyone get the idea that if your an exec your important? IT'S THE WORKERS WHO ARE IMPORTANT. enough said

I mean they have some nerve, the congress, to actually "tone down the tough talk." for god's sake this is capitalism, and if we are going to give these freak companies some money, the accept OUR terms. NO jets, NO golden parachutes, and if you don't like, Ford or GM, why don't you go to hell. Honestly the congress MUST be tough, it seems just when a nice piece of legislation is pending, someone always goes and screws the whole thing up. Thanks Senator Barney Frank, thanks.

Okay congress needs to get off the auto industries back when it comes to corporate jets. I have Ford guys come to my hotel and stay and they use corporate jets. It keeps the cost down because flying commercial can be expensive. So its actually cheaper to fly private jets. Get a grip!

did barny happen to say anything about the 500+ private jets that were scheduled to show up in dc for the innauguration?

Hi Jack,

Everyone thinks that the planes represent a Motley Crue Rock Star lifestyle, which in the entertainment business it certainly does; however Corporate jets especially for those businesses which have multiple locations are essential. Namely, if 75-100 people fly back every 2 weeks to and from 1 location that is roughly $100,000 per month based on an average of a 14day advanced $500 commercial ticket. In the auto industry where extensive travel can rang 12-16 months on average would equate to $1.2-1.6M. Imagine 2 or 3 locations that are working simulataneously would equate to ~$3M a year. By singling out the highest executives, all workers in the company lose.

In the end most companies lease their airfleet and write down the expenses similar to commercial travel on the balance sheet as we know. With Barney Frank and Nancy (speaking of a Rockstar with her taxpayer paid jet) they have not only caused the ultimate firings of the corporate flight crew and support staff, but they have caused people who still have a job and still require to travel to spend more time at locations away from their families than what would be required.

Something to consider CNN, do you allow Wolf Blitzer to fly on commercial when on business? How about support staff? Do they all ride the Madden Mobile look alike? Appreciate you letting me vent...

This is so stupid, what the hell is Barney Frank thinking? What a failure, failure to take a stand, failure to take a firm position. Though I am a democrat, I must say the Democratic congress fights for its laws the way jello fights a fork.

funny, i don't seem to have heard barny say anything about the 500+ private jets that were scheduled to show up for the inauguration....

The auto companies would save really big bucks IF the Govt would really get serious and push thru legislation in some areas that add big bucks to the cost line, and get tough with the auto folks on the bigger issues like only 3 brands at most to cover Good, Better, Best, and limit models so there is not overlap in all types and price points within the brands, and force the union to give up on the work rules, bumping, paid time off excess, company paid union representatives numbering 20 or more at larger plants (they do not work production, they just "represent" full time and overtime) and other pork provisions that management and the unions agreed to over the years AND raise their medical & dental premiums to even 75% of the national average for active employees/those on layoff/retirees, take away free/very low cost company cars from the thousands of managers getting them, and many other wasteful provisions that exist for both union and management people...both active and retired. The govt should also change the laws to allow some changes to be made to the retirees instead of forcing the company to keep those pensions in the top 10% of pensions in the USA. The govt needs to change some laws to allow this to happen, and also to allow them to cheaply close down maybe 1/2 of their dealers without huge costs to avoid law suits. The govt needs to address tort reform to limit law suits against companies. Why continue paying lawyers millions to bring these suits...WHY? because the lawyers are such a powerful lobby group, and many politicians started as lawyers or become hired hands in these firms when they retire or get voted out. Should the lawyers be able to add hundreds of millions of dollars of cost to companies? Can EVERYBODY start with a clean sheet of paper and be fair yet eliminate pork & waste...the management, the unions, and the govt ?? Why would taxpayers pay the price for these bailouts and then allow the auto and banking employees and those retirees, and lawyers, to maintain provisions that are clearly among the best in the country ? Does this make sense...heck no !

Diane – they typically only work 4 hours a day, and "hide" for the other 4.....I know – I've been there, done that......I was a AFL – CIO Union
Worker working at a factory for 28 years, until they shut it down....
Now I know.....That's why they are shutting down factories all over the U.S. (especially if they are union) The Company cannot control the union, and the workers know they can get by with anything, and never get fired, because the union keeps backing them, lying for them & so on....( I was a union stewart at one tiime) ( and had to lie for people)

The automakers greeting congress in private jets was both rude and symbolic. It appeared as though the wealthy executives were looking at for themselves and not the average working American. This may not be the case, but it looked that way. They should not be banned from using private aircrafts because sometimes it is a necessity. They could reduce the number of planes in their fleets, and only fly private when it is absolutely necessary.

Aircraft CEO's don't drive cars so why should auto CEO's fly in aircraft. They should be proud enough of their product to drive it.

Congress should set the example and strip Pelosi of her corporate jet. Is there some real reason she needs an airplane or is it she just wants an airplane?

hey barney, what about stopping politicians from receiving sweet heart interest rates from government run lending institutions? ala chris dodd.

one word to describe the man – clown.

Barney still will not accept the fact that he and dodd were the prime reason for the collapse f the mortgage industry. just like his life, he has no clue.

Does Barney Frank know that the Chuch Age has come to an end ?

Say on average you fly four executives averaging $1mill salary, each. That works out to $2000 an hour. How many hours do they have to spend going through security, waiting on flights, etc. before you break even? Far less is saved by flying commercial than most folks would imagine, Including Frank.

Tell the guy with the salary of 2 million to give back his 21 million dollar
bonus– there's your bailout, bozo

It's interesting that Rep. Frank doesn't want executives flying private aircraft while they ask for handouts, but his leader, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, gets the use of a private airplane to go anywhere she wants. If anybody has their hands out demanding more of our tax dollars, it's congress. Drop the airplane Rep. Pelosi and fly commercial every once in awhile! I promise, Al Gore will smile.

Actually, Jim, it is employees who belong to the Auto Workers' Union who clock in, sleep 8 hours, get paid, clock out and go home who are the problem. I personally know GM and Ford employees who did this.

Ahhh, more wisdom from Pelosi's Pomeranian

Apparently you all, and congress, have forgotten that when people such as them travel frequently to many places, it is -cheaper- to make use of private jets. But hey, I have to fly coach the two or three times a year I fly because it'd be too expensive otherwise, so my reality must apply to everyone else around me.

Now if they drove there in rediculously expensive to manufacture, gas guzzling cars, THAT would be far more offensive.

Good. That's a tiny tiny first step...but I can think of 100 other things to "drop" in the next bailout bill to both punish and force reform upon the upper-echelon of corporate America. Why don't we start with them refunding all the money they paid themselves from the point where the necessity of a bailout became foreseeable...hmmmm? Why should they get to keep all that money when they knew the business was going under, especially iof they were syphoning it off to themselves before it was too late?

Oh wait, it got stripped because an industry grew up around consumerism that shouldn't have existed? Who'd a thunk?

A no win situation for Frank. If he scraps the provision, he's being soft. If he keeps it, he's threatening American jobs. Which would you rather be guilty of in today's economy?

Good. That's a tiny tiny first step...but I can think of 100 other things to "drop" in the next bailout bill to both punish and force reform upon the upper-echelon of corporate America. Why don't we start with them refunding all the money they paid themselves from the point where the necessity of a bailout became foreseeable...hmmmm? Why should they get to keep all that money when they knew the business was going under, especially iof they were syphoning it off to themselves before it was too late?

I'm no apologist for the auto industry, but you cannot deny senior executives use of these aircraft and at the same time expect them to run these huge companies efficiently while either flying commercially or sitting in cars for hours between cities.

There's a reason people in high profile,demanding jobs fly in corporate jets. We can't start tying one hand behind their backs by sending them on an airliner. Time is money.

This was an easy way for the popular press and Congress to find another thing wrong with Detroit.

Are you kidding me with this? Is the government going to bail out enough companies withcorporate jets that it would affect corprate jet production? Again...Are you kidding me? Pathetic!!!

Vote the rest of them out! Disregard the party affiliation!

BARNEY FRANK WHAT MORE CAN ANYONE SAY.... ANOTHER WASTED HUMAN BEING.

because somebody has dug up a little mud on mr. frank, ala fanny mae, and it might stick...

I live in Kansas, close to Wichita, and believe me, the Kansas Republicans and aerospace industry views this issue as MAJOR! They think that if this restriction remains in the legislation that this area of the country could really go into deep recession. As it is, the aerospace industry is already cutting jobs.

My family is not dependent upon the aerospace industry for a paycheck, but this is exactly the kind of impediment that lawmakers are going to have to deal with as they write restrictions into the use of the TARP money. Our lawmakers must take a larger view of the economy is this "bailout" or "investment" or whatever they wish to call it is going to get through congress.

to believe,
if you had good intentions but found they actually hurt a of people, would you change your mind? Unlike the past 8 years, when a possible mistake is made, it is corrected and it is made public, not swept under the rug.
I think this incident, stripped of all political innuendos, shows how closely related and inter-dependent all US industries are upon each other. It could make the recovery easier or more difficult as one industry's solution could create another industry's problem.

It is in the bylaws of some of these corporations to mandate their CEO's flying privately due to security concerns. However, I think that ownership of a private fleet is excessive and, if the companies are looking for a way to maintain security, if necessary, and comply, then they should use charter companies.

So this guy, basically responsible for the near-destruction of the financial industry with his Fannie Mae ties, blows a smokescreen with the private jet scapegoat. And then, once the furor is over and all eyes are elsewhere he quietly drops the tough talk and the provision.

Yep, Nancy Pelosi promised to "do something" about the culture of corruption in 2004, and so they have.. they've maintained and nurtured it quite well. Nice job.

The private jet industry is just as valid as any other. To have their business threatened by a grandstanding politician is not right. If the auto companies had run their businesses properly, they wouldn't be asking for a bail-out and nobody would care about corporate jets. People need to keep their eyes on the ball, and not bad-mouth legitimate industries that are not seeking tax payer money.

Sounds a lot to me like "politics as usual" and earmarks for the aviation indusrty. Plus Barney's a wuss.

Coming from the King of the failed housing market. Nice....

They shouldn't be allowed to use corporate jets if their company is in financial distress. That is a waste of millions per year just so they can enjoy the luxurious comfort of a corporate jet. The things that Rep. Moore said are just a bunch of nonsense as well. By not allowing all the companies we are bailing out the use of their own corporate jet is not going to affect the jobs of anyone.

Why was it stripped you ask? This sounds like the pot calling the kettle black. Congress rides on our tax dollars for every benefit they get - planes, insurance, barbershops right there at work, everything. How could this lowest rating of all time Congress do anything but strip out this type of language. They want more, not less of the money they steal from working people.

Just goes to show that Barney Frank is a loudmouth who doesn't think before he speaks. Typical. Like to many people in Congress who don't think through the ramifications of what they say or do.

I apologize, FRANK scraped the no-jet provision from the bill, that only pissed me OFF big time. WHAT a crock of CRAP. I initially thought the man had some integrity....but after re-reading the article I realized he did nothing but "TALK A LOT OF BS".

Well said, Lisa. Unfortunately, being part of political decision-making on a much smaller community-sized scale, often the process really is similar to making sausage where the final product is more palatable than the parts that went into it.

juniorb --- if you can't stand firm on the small issues that you set then how are the people to trust that he'll stand firm on the bigger issues?

Somebody has friends, that have a few item on Barney. He is just another corrupt politician that needs to go!

cause the automakers are gonna let him USE the jets.....duhhhhhh.....

so frank really did not mean what he said, he only said that to settle people down, there's a word for you mr, frank, HYPOCRITE

Nice job, Barney.

From the guy who led the Democrats fight against McCain and Elizabeth Dole's legislation reforming the loose lending rules for Sallie Mae and Freddie Mac in 2001 (and we know how that turned out!), here is another failure on your part–when will it end, Blarney?

What I don't understand is why we keep giving billions of dollars to an industry that sunk themselves, still won't lend, and just keeps on rewarding those responsible? Fire the people responsible, stop with the golden parachutes, take away the corporate jets, and make these financial institutions walk the fine lines you made the auto industry walk. Is that too much to ask? It's our money, after all.

Frank is an idiot. For years, he stood in the way of any meaningful investgation of Fannie and Freddie when it was clear they were going down. This is the same guy who also attempted to get a "Wild and Scenic" designation for the Taunton River – look this one up, the rive is in an industrial zone and it is neither wild nor scenic. In fact, Frank supported dregging this river to gain more industrial access until he opposed its use by natuiral gas interests.

CONGRESS TERM LIMITS . . . 12 YEARS, NO RETIREMENT!

This will solve most of our Government's Problems.

AND, it will save Taxpayer's from having to pay for their Corruption (after they leave office)!

No earmarks, no pork barrels, no this, no thar. but it seems this reversal demonstrates that the business as usual rhythm is rapidly falling into place now that the election fever is subsiding.
People of Mr. Franks ilk are fervently in favor of promoting evolution as concerns human life, but when it comes to economics we often do not let the natural course of events evolve freely. In this case for the sake of "a half dozen states" Mr. Frank is forgoing what he concluded was in the best interest of all of the United States.
Same ol' same ol'.

...so much time spent on so small an issue...if common sense was to prevail, government would be so much more efficient in dealing with the big issues.

Do you know why conservatives don't like Frank...

...no not because he is gay....

...because he puts them in their place.

Barney Frank:
One of the biggest ducks in the pond regarding the housing collapse.

But let us not forget Jimmy Carter and his Community Reinvestment Act, too. Woo hoo! Food Stamp Mortgages for everyone!

Will somebody please get this man a speach therapist?

Yeah that is one reason he has to change his tune. The other is the hypocrite standing next to him. The auto CEO's get to fly around in jets paid for by their company. Pelosi, Reid and Frank get their own private jet paid for by you and me. Pelosi flies back and forth every week as well or so she said she needs to when she demanded the taxpayers pay for her flights and her private jet.

I guess it is just OK for Senators to not fly commercial but for the rest of us its fine. Parish the thought they would actually have to interact with the people they serve.

Bring about a end to the ruling elite in America. Demand term limits on Senators.

Hey Barney why dont you change the law that broke the banks instead of worrying about corporate jets. You have had plenty of warning and you refused to tighten the reins on fannie mae and freddie mac. Stop allowing people to get loans that cant afford them.

It is more dumping on the Unions. The unions are not the problem, it is the auto executives.

How does this guy still have a job?
Oh...he's Nancy's pet .

Put him and Chris Dodd on the stand already.

The real reason: Most of Congress is in bed with the financial industry. And we can't give those CEO's the same treatment we gave the auto execs. We have to bow and kiss their shoes. And give them 1.5 trillion dollars. (compared to 15 billion for the auto companies who actually make a useful product rather than leach off everyone else)

And thus is legislation, and sausage, made...

Haha ha ha... because the federal reserve does not belong to him either.