I agree 100% Look at Calvin’s Geneva. You had strong government regulation of an economy that was made pious and helped the poor while at the same time defended the dignity of work.

This is the same saffu that got us (or rather our fathers) into the Great Depression. And the same Government that led to the “Teapot Dome Scandal”. Doesn’t anybody know their American History? Of course not, George W. Bush was an “Average” student in a dumbed down America.
Can we elect somebody with some brains? Not just to the White House but also to Congress?
Thank You.

You had strong government regulation of an economy that was made pious and helped the poor while at the same time defended the dignity of work.”
And anyone who thought otherwise was slowly roasted in the public square.

Intelligence is out of style. What matters is popularity, and the people who seem to be most popular now are the ones who don’t challenge anyone else’s self-esteem. Not only can anyone be a star (at least believe they can, with American Idol and all the rest), everyone DESERVES to be a star. There no longer is a valuing of actual excellence. Excellence has been supplanted by being “just like me.”
Waldman discussed it in “Sam Harris’s (mostly) unfair attack on Sarah Palin.” And Harris discusses it in his Newsweek piece, which inspired Waldman.
It’s not exclusively an American thing, but it surely is a strongly American thing. The idols in France (yes, France—get your snark out of the way and then keep reading) are philosophers and writers. The Asia that’s working hard to be major players in the world’s economy value education above all for their children, and they want their children to excel academically. They know it’s the best way for their children to make it in the world. Most of the world that isn’t too caught up in wars to even think about it see free education at the college level and beyond as expected and a necessary factor in making sure that its societies move forward.
There’s something in the libertarian leaning of this country that is precluding a desire and respect for excellence and intelligence. With the attitude that “I have the right to do what I want” has come an unspoken “and you don’t have the right to judge me about it.” Therefore, anyone who might come along and suggest that the choices you’ve made not only don’t benefit you in the long term but that they also have a deleterious effect on the society in general is dissing you, not exercising the results of years of the study of history and a practice of applying critical thinking to their words and actions. They’re “know-it-alls” who are trying to tell people what to do, and they’d rather go to a school ceremony at which every child gets an award, not for any kind of achievement, but simply because they attend the school.
Equal rights, “all men are created equal,” equal protection under the law—these are all really good things. But none of them means that we all have the same talents and that we all are capable of running a country. Someone who can run a country might be a lousy cook, while an amazing cook probably shouldn’t teach in med school, and a doctor probably shouldn’t fly the space shuttle, and an astronaut probably shouldn’t take care of children, unless the rest of that astronaut’s life has provided a preparation for safe and effective childcare.
Somehow equality has come to mean that nobody’s better than anyone else—especially in their innate gifts. But that means that a low—if not the lowest—common denominator must be the benchmark for the ability to do things that previous generations only wanted the wisest, best-educated, and most experienced people to do. And the major ability today, now open to people based on their bar sociability, seems to be for running the country.

This post betrays a near complete ignorance of the Bible, Judeo-Christian values, and America’s founding. I’d refute it, but by the time I got finished it would be an a-z encyclopedia of our founding. A lack of vigorous regulation isn’t what caused the current mess. A heavy handed government and near complete and total government control of markets (which would be made complete by the bailout proposal) is what caused this mess. In fact, a lot of “Christian-sounding”, well intentioned laws and regulations caused this mess. Here– I’ll give you a short primer:
There was artificial demand in the housing market due to loose lending standards forced upon lenders by well-intentioned government regulation– specifically the 1977 Carter – Democrat “Community Development Act” which was designed to put an end to the practice of “red lining”. Put simply, it was considered red lining for banks to take deposits in poorer, primarily minority neighborhoods and then turn around and lend it in mainly white, richer areas. Banks were required to record the loans they made, and if it was arbitrarily determined they were “red lining”, they could be denied the right to expand, merge, or even be shut down. There wasn’t much by way of lending police because that job was left to “community organizers” (thugs) with groups like ACORN, whose job it was to extort money from banks by way of fees they would collect for essentially acting as a mortgage broker in minority neighborhoods. Often as a requirement, homeowners who got the loans would be compelled to participate in these groups’ radical activities. Banks were basically the target of shakedowns because they needed to maintain a good “CRA rating” and nobody in lending wanted to be labeled an enemy of the poor, and especially poor minorities.
What began in 1977 for what are arguably good intentions was quickly seen by many in politics as a slush fund and financial playground. Under Clinton, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac got into the act. They started buying up bad loans from banks and securitizing them for sale on the world market. All of this of course is at the root of the “sub prime meltdown”. Much of the mortgage backed securities that were sold of course were marked up as “A” paper when in reality they were very risky mortgages.
This fully explains the cozy relationship between community organizers like Barack Obama and former head of Fannie Mae, Franklin Raines who looted Fannie Mae to the tune of $90 million personally, hundreds of millions to liberal politicians and “community groups” like ACRON, and who eventually ran the quasi-government entity into the ground and who now wants to stick us with the bill.
We are not in the middle of a housing bubble bursting right now. What we’re in the middle of is a mild correction (houses are still above their values of 5 or so years ago) and we’re in the middle (FINALLY- IF they’ll just let it happen) of a major correction in the credit market. If the government will allow the market to self-correct, and heal without this ridiculous bailout idea what you’ll see happen is real estate returning to it’s historical appreciation rates, prices stabilize, and once again the mortgage market will return to some normal market lending standards. Either way, you can bet the era of street gang thugs demanding easy credit from lenders is over– and that’s a positive.
Because since 1970 minority homeownership is up from 42% to 47.2%– still under 50%. So, it hasn’t worked– except for the people it was designed to work for: the politicians, the lobbyists, the pressure groups, and all the rest of the scum that were attracted like flies to a big turd to this giant pile of Federal mortgage money.
If the bailout proceeds it will greatly exacerbate and prolong the problem just as it did after the first bailout in 1933 when the “Home Owner’s Loan Corporation” (HOLC) bought bad debt from banks and extended the depression at least a decade with the help of other bad policy under both Hoover and FDR. Then as now, the idea that the free market was the problem, and government was the solution was sold to the public when in fact it was and is almost entirely due to heavy handed government regulation.

I see no room for government or any one else interfering with mans finances in the bibical rules and laws laid down by Moses on authority from God.
When control comes, mans freeedom leaves. God made me free, Satans government leads to communism.

I don’t thing the question is who is to blame for this mess, but what is the best way to fix it.
Historically whenever the government intervenes in private business, it gets worse. For years the banks have not had to take responsibility for there actions.A perfect example of this is giving credit cards to teenagers fresh out of high school, cats and dogs, this sub-prime loan mess is just the latest.
It’s time that they they responsibility for their mess and not expect or demand a bail out from mommy and daddy (the government).
Let the market correct on its own

Anyone who reads the Declaration of Independence and Constitution [Google online constitution] will see that nothing about this country is Declarated nor Constitutional. When the government isn’t doing the will of the people they intended thepeople to abolish that government and replace it in such a way the people get the greatest benifit. Every state is to name a presidental and vice- candicate (Amen. 12), one of which is not from the same state, eliminating parties. Congress (Article 1) are subjet to the will of the people but they never ask their constituents how to vote on any matter.
Now the government want to usecitizen’s money to aid the rich, NO, I don’t think so!!! The follosing is what we need to have done.
The 700 billion dollar bail out of the Stock Market should not happen. The Natives of North America lived in communities without money, they used what I call the “Service for Survival” plan. In it everyone, because of doing their part in maintaining the whole, got everything they needed for their survival. Just because we have more good and things than they doesn’t mean it will not work. That system will work in this nation.
What the system will do is make everyone equals, eliminate covertness, eliminate the need to advertise, and require everyone to do a service for the nation. Retirement will, in a small since, be eliminated increasing life expectancy. AMA will require all drugs to be without side effects whose intent is to increase dependency on them. Hospitals will work to heal the condition rather than treat the symptoms. And for everyone, “if you don’t work you don’t eat”.
Everyone will continue to work on the jobs they enjoy, entertainers will entertain, sportsman will entertain in the sporting arenas, transportation industry will transport people and goods, the auto industry will eliminate the restriction on MPG, owners of businesses will have to work just like the workers, there will be no investing of money for usury since the only money made will be for international trade.
If World Bank, S&C, House of Rolthchild, and Rolthchild want the existing system to remain they will have to bail out the “stock market” to continue money as the means of maintaining the nation. With everyone doing their jobs, teachers teaching, students studying, leaders leading for the purpose of maintaining the nation, we don’t need “stock markets” and banks.
Only when a person visits a nation using money will they be provided money. Industries will have to keep all jobs in the United States to provide work for U.S. citizens. If a person wants something from another country they would have to find a means of obtaining it, only when the country NEEDS something from another country will money be
provided to get it.
That attitude IS NOT “Christian” it IS “humanitarian”.

The Financial Regulation needed to have been implimented long ago, before eliminating United States’ money being backed by “precious metals”. Now, we don’t need “Financial Regulation” what the United States needs is “Financial Elimination”.
The 700 billion dollar bail out of the Stock Market should not happen. The Natives of North America lived in communities without money, they used what I call the “Service for Survival” plan. In it everyone, because of doing their part in maintaining the whole, got everything they needed for their survival. Just because we have more good and things than they doesn’t mean it will not work. That system will work in this nation.
What the system will do is make everyone equals, eliminate covertness, eliminate the need to advertise, and require everyone to do a service for the nation. Retirement will, in a small since, be eliminated which will increase life expectancy. AMA will require all drugs to be without side effects whose intent is to increase dependency on them to earn money. Hospitals will work to heal the condition rather than treat the symptoms to earn money. And for everyone, “if you don’t work you don’t eat”.
Everyone will continue to work on the jobs they enjoy, entertainers and sportsman will entertain in their arenas, transportation industry will transport people and goods, the auto industry will eliminate the restriction on MPG, owners of businesses will have to work just like the workers, there will be no investing of money for usury since the only money made will be for international trade.
If World Bank, S&C, House of Rolthchild, and Rolthchild want the existing system to remain they will have to bail out the “the banks” to continue money as the means of maintaining the nation. With everyone doing their jobs in “Service for Survival” government, teachers teaching, students studying, leaders leading for the purpose of maintaining the nation, we don’t need “banks”.
The only money needed would be for people who visit nations which use money. Industry would be required to keep jobs in our country. The only importing would happen in time of need andmoney would be provided for it, other wise, thered would not be a need for money.
Read [Google online constitution] the Declearation of Independence and Constitution, this nation has never followed the procedures outlined in them. A Service for Survival nation would bring s in line with the founders intentions for thisnation. George Washington said: “let s raise a nation only the wise and honest can repair. The event isin the hands of god.”

I totally agree that government has a legitimate role in regulating behavior that harms the public good. The current financial crisis we are experiencing demonstrates what happens when greed is accepted as the primary driving force in our financial markets. Sadly, a lot of middle income people are going to harmed by the criminal conduct of a relative few in number.
Let us pray that our governmental leaders emerge with the strength of character from this people. Let us also pray that we work through this crisis with a minimal amount of harm.
God bless Ameria!

Well, if anything, Jefferson was an economic prophet in this quote:
I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around [the banks] will deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered. The issuing power should be taken from the banks and restored to the people, to whom it properly belongs.
Thomas Jefferson
What religious conservatives forget is that all of the Founding Fathers considered corporations very dangerous, and they and their children, the immediate generation following them, creates strong regulations, requiring that corporations only be temporary and that they could not do business across state lines. The founders were also extremely opposed to extremes of wealth and poverty, seeing this as a means by which those with extreme wealth use that wealth to control and supercede the powers of a democratic government. They were not levelers, or “socialists” but even before the revolution, the founders had ideas about the creation of old age pensions, stipends from the government for families, government provision of some minumum means for a person to provide themselves with an income, and also what we would now call a living wage. That is, the founders ideas that a person should be entitled to the full fruits of the labors did not just apply to the owners of a business, but to those who worked for a business owner as well.