Wow.. I really thought it was going to pass!!!

i knew i should have stayed in bed today.

Good thing McCain suspended his campaign so he could get this all wrapped up and approved.

geez, you know Maria, if he had just skipped the debate like he originally planned, this would have passed, like FER SHERRRR!

at least, that's what his supporters will say…

First everyone hated the bailout, and now everyone's mad it didn't pass. I don't understand economics well enough to know what the right thing would be - I just know, don't sell. But what's gonna happen now?

My mom was having a pleasant conversation with an old man about their respective Labradors on a walk yesterday, but when he found out she was american (we live in Ireland) he contemptuously said "Thanks for screwing up the world's economy" and walked away.

Now she knows how it must feel to be a German constantly reminded of WWII.

we're all going to learn to love government cheese; that's what's going to happen now.

Yeah, I agree sar. I need someone to explain this to me. Gently.

It's not such a bad time to be a student (assuming you've already got your loans approved).

Sar- I'm with you. I can think of other ways to spend $700B, rather than bailing people and corporations out- but at the same time, now we're really screwed. What a mess.

From what I understand, some of it was kind of strange and "possibly alarming":

http://www.clusterstock.com/20.....it-anyway-

yay for it not passing! We need to start living within our means! This will hopefully help create a lot of change.

What the Mgabe-in-hell are these elected officials doing???

No one wants to foot the bill to the tune of 700 billion BUT it has to be done. This is bad, this is really freaking bad.

If McCain tries to play this off that he could have fixed it if he didn't go to the debate someone needs to kick him in the balls. He went to Washington just like Obama did and sat quietly, asked a few questions but over all did nothing to greatly help this along.

On the bright side, government cheese makes tasty grilled cheese sandwiches.

If he tries to play it off like, I shouldn't have left to come to the debates, it'll just be the second head-up-his-ass major decision he's made so far. I think either way, it's lose-lose for him.

Glad I moved to Switzerland, but boy not glad that I will be supporting my entire family. I am glad that people are having a santiy check, what are the ramifications for us? That 450 odd people are making this decision for all of us, all of us. I do vote, even abroad I vote, and all of us should because we appointed these people to make these decisions on our behalf.

Should I make a run on the bank? Take out my savings and hide it somewhere in my apartment…maybe line the litterbox with a secret compartment….

I'm Canadian, so the economy may be a little different here, but I've been trying to keep up with the US too. But I'm confused…does that screw everyone?

Keebler, to me, this would be a Bush "ha-ha" moment. I wonder if we were screwed either way, and he knew this wouldn't get voted in. So when everything falls apart he won't be the one with legacy. I mean, he WILL thansk to the last 8 years of government cockups and what not, but he'll have this whole fiasco making him look like he tried to fix everything. I dunno, that's a little strong cosidering how little I know about this.

Ha, ha, kittenpaw, I've (at least somewhat) seriously been considering the same thing!

I can't say that I'm sad that this bailout didn't pass; and, if NPR is correct, most other Americans aren't either.

Perhaps we should look abroad a bit (hel-LO, Sweden!) before we give away 700 BILLION DOLLARS.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09.....ref=slogin

problem with the bailout? among otherthings, the 170 million dollar payouts to the very executives who allowed these failed institutions to behave as they did.

problem with not passing the bailout? the economic recession we will slip in to.

people should learn to live within their means? Yes. However to make that point should we destroy out entire economy? Dont you think the thousands and thousands who have been evicted for NOT living within their means have probably already learned that lesson?

Folks with multiple bankruptcies have NOT learned their lesson. Sorry, but that's the nature of the stupid in America. Always feeling like they deserve a lifestyle they can't afford.

i am 95% sure that the panic of people taking their money out and selling their stocks is what caused the great depression to escalate like it did - i freely admit i might be wrong, but i'm almost sure that it's people freaking out and withdrawing all their investments is the worst thing that can happen.

Does government cheese arrive in varying degrees of softness? Because I get bored with just brie and goat cheese. I like to keep it fresh with some manchego and iberico, but that's just me… Ooh! and the little mini toasts sound economical. I don't need those fancy poppy and pepper crackers (wait, I take that back).

Let the blame begin:
“From the minute John McCain suspended his campaign and arrived in Washington to address this crisis, he was attacked by the Democratic leadership: Senators Obama and Reid, Speaker Pelosi and others. Their partisan attacks were an effort to gain political advantage during a national economic crisis. By doing so, they put at risk the homes, livelihoods and savings of millions of American families," senior policy adviser Doug Holtz-Eakin said in a statement.

“Barack Obama failed to lead, phoned it in, attacked John McCain, and refused to even say if he supported the final bill. Just before the vote, when the outcome was still in doubt, Speaker Pelosi gave a strongly worded partisan speech and poisoned the outcome. This bill failed because Barack Obama and the Democrats put politics ahead of country.”

This is when my taste for human flesh comes in handy. Fuck the breadline, I'm eating the homeless.

There is no doubt that no one wants to pay for this. Believe me I don't like the idea of a 700 billion dollar bailout. This just isn't about people living outside there means. This is a runaway industry that is threatening to bring down the market here and around the world. If the government doesn't step in we are heading to an economic crisis. Banks around the country are already failing.

Set the politics aside for a moment. If this doesn't get addressed and started moving in the right direction soon we are all going to feel this.

Sar, I agree that people bailing on their banks and investments is making a bad situation worse, but you can hardly blame people for being freaked out and wanting to protect themselves against the institutions that put them there in the first place. Further bank collapse is imminent. Potential bank slogan (said in Office Space Boss voice):

"Yah, sorry about the bum loan. We're gonna go ahead and take that house back now, ok? But it would be super if you could go ahead and keep whatever money you have left with us, ok? Super."

While something has to be done to reverse this financial crisis, 700 billion dollars in corporate welfare checks, helping to keep the already uber wealthy 1% of the population in the lifestyle they are accustomed to, without losing so much as a dime, is not the answer. Unless you are a business cohort of Warren Buffett, you should be glad this particular proposition did not pass. There was really not much in there for the "average joe" consumer.

"you can hardly blame people for being freaked out and wanting to protect themselves"

most definitely not. if i had any real money i'd be freaking out too.

what i don't get is in a country where every time a dollar changes hands between two parties, the government gets a cut… doesn't the dollar become essentially valueless after about 5 trades? are we really living above our means, or are we pointlessly trying to treat our money like it's valuable?

jesus christ people turn off your tvs and get the real facts! bush has everyone believing that passing this bill will resolve our economic crisis but all of you as most americans don't really even have a clue as to what it intales…so i've added this link…please get educated on FACTS PEOPLE before jumping on this morons bandwagon!
http://www.infowars.com/

oh and stoney, before blaming the stupid american that didn't learn their lesson get a clue and stop being so narrow minded, get some compassion maybe and more importantly educated…lots of americans have lost jobs and or can't keep up with the inflation so there's alot more to it than people simply trying to live beyond their means

Nice, Kill!

I got my education six years ago in the form of a degree from Vanderbilt, so go fuck yourself you self-righteous smegma molecule. Did I say this crisis was entirely the fault of the consumer? Aboslutely NOT!

I am not well versed in economics but this whole main street vs. wall street argument is getting to me. I don't own a house, don't have large investments (my 401k is it pretty much), and yet I am pretty damn sure if banks in America collapse that is going to affect me in a bad way.

I looked up FACTS PEOPLE on wikipedia but I didn't find anything. And I can't find them on myspace either. *Now* who doesn't have any facts.

Yeah, and Bush went to Yale.

Serious question: Did you major in potty mouth?

LOL, Sar, did you try News of the World? Oh, wait, they went under didn't they?

OMG you guysszzz, Batboy for prez!

He already is!

dear stoney, wow…myspace and wikipedia huh? well that explains it all. and by education i mean learn something about what you're discussing or debating before spewing out ridiculous rants…and i'm not asking you to do this for me or anyone other than yourself…and not in a self righteous way either…in a genuinely humble loving way because wether you feel it or not all of this and everyone's struggles in all the world will eventually affect you.

oh sorry…the myspace wikipedia comment was to sar. but i have a question for you stoney…how many credit cards and loans (auto loans, etc) do you own?

yeah sar, you big dumb.

MySpace: Learn how to be a car model AND an economics expert. I LUV VIN DEISEL!!!@21

ps - i did post a link where you can get real news and facts about what's going on and what the bailout really means but i guess it was deleted by the editor. anyway, it's infowars…i won't add the .com and maybe they won't censor me

Your link is still there Valesca, stop spreading your paranoia. :)

Paranoia, paranoia
Everybody's comin' to get me
Just say you never met me

LOL…spoken like a true ignorant

valesca is right. Swing it and swirl it how you will…
Do you have car loan(s)? Do you have credit card debt? Do you have a {double, meaning you borrowed the down payment} on your mortgage, or prematurely borrowed against your (equity)? If not, and you have "properly" deposited your excess "funds," you have nothing to worry about.
Who do you think makes the stock market fluctuate so rapidly? Not you or I. People who have a LOT of money, that is easily expendable.

I hope the government has enough cheese to last us throughout the depression. We must start stocking up now!

Hey 21. I don't think some people do, and that's the problem. I have a nephew that racked up a bunch of credit card debt, along with other loans. Declared bankruptcy. Clean slate. He then went out and got more lines of credit, almost immediately, from these very greedy credit companies that only care about interest rates. Geuss what? He got in over his head AGAIN, and now is waiting to declare bankruptcy AGAIN. Hiding from the creditors until it's safe. Not that the credit companies care, when they can just jack up everyone else's % rates. Part of me thinks "Why not have a depression. Maybe people will learn to live without all of the materialism and become human again.

Captain Obvious,
If you don't carry a balance, they can't "jack up" your % rates.

Easier said than done, especially when my raise this year was 1.7% and inflation was, what, 4-6%? Some of us have to carry a balance when emergencies pop up. You are obviously perfect.

You said it. I didn't. :)

ok killorn made me laugh so hard, then valesca made me laugh again, then i reread killorn's and lost it.

now valesca seems so funny i want her to respond to EVERYTHING i say, in such a geniune and loving way.

Sorry about this, my sweets =( I guess, just for today, I won't be jealous of people who live in New York city.

i want to know more about these smegma molecules i saw on the home shopping network.

how many come in a carton? can i put them on layaway?

OMG did someone say smegma molecules? Did you know they will get stains out of your shirts, AND you can scrub potatoes with them? You can't pass up a deal like that.

Clairfying — I only thought Valesca was funny because shim took me seriously about wikipedia and myspace. I have no idea about whether shim is right about the economy.

let's not forget the tiny, bearded australian man who bakckflips his way through different cleaning scenarios shouting "JUST SMEGMACUTE IT" on late-night informercials. Stinky microwave? Blast a cup of smegma on high for a minute and BAM!

::sigh:: Most people oppose giving their tax dollars to the super-rich bankers that drove the economy into the ground. Henry Paulson is worth $700 million from his years as CEO at Goldman Sachs. The current CEO of Goldman Sachs made $67 million LAST YEAR. To pay corporate and banking executives today is 275 times greater than you or me.
Instead of rewarding bankers' greed perhaps they should be considering freezing mortage interest payments to the banks so that people can avoid foreclose.