Big banks are a problem

[Jack L Golding]

Someone has mentioned that we should use the TARP money to subsidize the small businesses . We have only distributed only about a fifth of the TARP money to various projects like infrastructure and saving local and state jobs. Let's not spend another nickel bailing out the big banks and AIG, since they are using it for speculation and paying huge bonuses for their so called talented executives.Instead give the rest of the money to small businesses for capitalization, job training, shovel ready projects for infrastructure, and to pay healthcare for employes of small businesses unable to afford to pay their healthcare. Change the practices of Congress and make the bills effective immediately upon enactment. The only reasons for such delays are to appease the businesses being affected by such changes.

[abby0802]

The idea of a selfless politician was an ideal -- not even our founding fathers really lived up to the ideal -- Washington came close but he like others did not trust the non-propertied class enough to let them vote --

But, America has always held its myth of democracy and equality as something already achieved despite evidence to the contrary -- i.e. slavery, poll taxes, etc.

Our current crop of professional politicians fight tooth and nail to retain power and would never acquiesce to term limits despite some of their comments that they believe in and would adhere to such things....

As for the lobbyists and other such bottom feeders: the best place of them is at the bottom of the ocean -- in cement overshoes --

As Jefferson said:


"God forbid we should ever be twenty years without such a rebellion.
The people cannot be all, and always, well informed. The part which is
wrong will be discontented, in proportion to the importance of the facts
they misconceive. If they remain quiet under such misconceptions,
it is lethargy, the forerunner of death to the public liberty. ...
And what country can preserve its liberties, if its rulers are not
warned from time to time, that this people preserve the spirit of
resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as
to the facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost
in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from
time to time, with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
It is its natural manure."

That quote is for you, Brian, I think that you would appreciate it!

[Brian]

Yes, I know the quote well, and, of course, Jefferson was practically schizophrenic in his thinking, or, to be more generous, pretty non-linear. They say that politicians fear the voters, but we've given them little reason to do so lately.

As I often point out, the "Founding Fathers" were the richest, writing a constitution for people like themselves. Shay's Rebellion, a real populist uprising, scared the bejabbers out of them and was a precipitating factor for the Constitutional Convention.