Just 2 years of 0% capital gains would rush capital to the market. Bailouts have unforseen consequences (i.e. banks sitting on bailout money instead of making loans), encourage continued poor business practices, and favor those with the greatest lobby while hurting the small to medium businesses. Private money brings accountability in ways politicians cannot. Use the market instead of taxpayers.

The responsibility for the irresponsible lending practices of the banks can be laid directly at the feet of our Federal Govt. It is not a Free Market problem. Gov’t regulation led to “predatory” lending in efforts to manipulate the levels of home ownership in America. Even if banks loaned to those who couldn’t afford it, don’t fault a bank because people decided to live beyond their means.

Another horrible aspect of the bailouts is that when the Fed prints money it causes an inflation on the dollar. People wonder why the dollar is worth so much less then the Euro now…. Bailouts end up costing us a LOT more then people realize. The Fairtax would be a far superior solution to our economic crisis.

The idea that the markets can regulate themselves is only rational in the world of Leave it to Beaver.

Ethics have been thrown out the window in favor of maximizing profits and beating out the competition. Even with all the regulations we have in place now, they continually find every loop-hole and technicality that allows them to manipulate the system to their advantage.

The problem is greed.

Sure, it sounds good to just say: “let’s solve this with the free market” , but the fact is that this mentality holds no tangible evidence that the free market can be considered a solution. However, there is plenty of evidence to confirm that in time of crisis, relying on ‘free market’ solutions has led to widespread social problems and further economic problems – argentina, chile, poland, russia.

the free markets made this happen and now they want government money. let them fail.

Corporations are taxed at 35%. They pass those costs onto consumers (as hidden taxes). If we eliminate corp. taxes, we stimulate the economy immediately. Corporations and small businesses will spur our economy faster than any other single act – except the elimination the income tax.

its funny how desperate i am to stop a bad bailout.

the problem with this main thread is the idea that we have a free market. We don’t have a free market, there fore it can’t implement free market solutions. what we have in fact is a third world slave labor market, and it runs its own game on slave market solutions.

strangely enough, the bailouts as is are more of the same.
deeper pit.

a genuine free market solution would be to directly invest in geothermal power, arcologies, and permaculture. Those three things, to the tune of about 100 billion dollars, problems actually fixed. Short of that few other formulas are going to be enough.