Diana Nancy Pelosi is gone quite a bit of the time. Others do her job for her. That is one of the points I as trying to make. You have made a good argument to blame it on the republicans and I would line up behind you except for the debacle of Fannie and Freddie. Yes, our representatives depend on the reports of others, obviously that doesn’t work. They do not have a “see to it” attitude. If we ran our business that way and did not do checks and balances on what is reported to us, we would no longer be in business. As for Bernanke and Paulson, we have no other choice. It is a take it or leave it scenario, just like the one they gave the banks (thank you Lesley Stahl for the great reporting). I believe that the crisis is enormous, but I don’t know how much more to believe. As for Pelosi, I used to like her very much, until every time there was a problem she blamed it on someone else. She wasn’t there rolling up her sleeves and solving the problem, she was stalling. Not good for the American people. She comes from a strong California political family. Her father was a pretty tough nut and a real wheeler dealer. She got politics and how to play politics with her morning milk before she went to school. She is soft spoken and always has that kind of “the dog ate my homework excuse” while the wheels are turning on how best to use a situation to her advantage. I am sure there were talking points from the WH but that never stopped her before. How do you think she ended up Speaker of the House? Don’t get me wrong, I don’t doubt that she has maneuvered for the right things as well, but she only takes responsibility for successes when she is also culpable for many mistakes. I don’t know where you got the idea that I thought the repubs were free thinkers. Huh? Or is that just an effort to change the tone of the conversation to something I never said. I think my position was that there was no free thinking in Washington. It may be there, but I think it is closed down if it raises it’s free head. Is that the backlash of Political Correctness? Possibly. Washington isn’t about free thinking, it is about power and how to maintain it and get it from the other guy. So, I am supposed to be surprised that Newt Gingrich is not a free thinker? He may not be a free thinker, but Clinton’s budget didn’t get balanced until the repubs took the majority and they passed the contract. So go figure. I don’t understand how you think the repubs toe a party line, yet the dems don’t? You’ve got to be kidding? You seriously believe that? I think they are pretty equal in that. Sometimes right, sometimes wrong and sometimes they actually work together to get important legislation passed, but now that we are in a constant election cycle, there is constant positioning and repositioning for power. The machines are so big now all they know is toe the line. Look what each presidential candidate has done. McCain has aligned himself with the religious right and taken on some of their positions. Criticizes Obama for Rev Wright, but sought the endorsement of that very far right minister. Held with trickle down when it doesn’t work. Obama has left his antiwar position when he said attack Pakistan, and then went from pull out of Iraq immediately to pull out gradually over time. Changed his position on many issues. He knew mainstream America would not stand for it. I could make long lists on both of them. So to me personally, they both have a lot of flaws. Of course, how could it be otherwise. What or whose writings are you referring to when talking about repubs toeing the line? THere are many about democrats as well. Much of that is opinion, just as we state here. This crisis that we face today is not only from supply side economics. It is from lack of oversight on bad business dealings from Fannie and Freddie, as well as free market financial institutions. The president stated in 2003 that there would be a financial crisis if regulation and oversight were not instituted on Fannie and Freddie, then again in 2005, and in 2006 McCain and other Senators petitioned congress to do something about it. The democrats didn’t want oversight to happen, Fan and Fred were giving their constituents what they wanted. New homes with no accountability. Harold Raines, the Chairman at that time said there was no problem. He made $90million while the institutions lost $9 billion. I think he benefited greatly from trickle down. He is one of Obama’s advisors. Why aren’t you questioning that? Fannie and Freddie are GSE Government Secured Entities, meaning they are backed by the government. Our taxpayer money was being used to secure loans for people who couldn’t qualify while congress people were getting large donations from Freddie mac. The press is just glossing it over fascinated by the political boxing match. That is what worries me. The deregulation that happened at the end of the Clinton Administration created so much greed and usuary, but the American public went for it. Credit was easy and we could just about make any kind of deal to get whatever we wanted, except for the poor. Terrible. I am tired of bailing people out. We have always paid our bills and business loans, I say lets get rebates from the rich ceo’s and all the war chests our congress people have sitting around collecting interest. And come to think of it? What about that democrat congressman from Florida that won Mark Foley’s seat and has paid off his mistress with campaign money? Why isn’t the press all over that? How much did Rahm Emmanuel know about it? It is reported that he was aware of it? Why aren’t these things being questioned? This is wrong. Trust me, you don’t even have to tell me about republican dirty dealings, I don’t like what they have done, but they were questioned, raked over the coals in the press and resigned or in court then jail. I have been saying since I started on this site that the whole system has to change, the party heads won’t do it because they benefit too much from the system. Americans have to want it and shout for it or it won’t happen.