i would like to see Congress include Wall street Brokers and executives under the RICO act.Until Congress gets serious about stoping corruption and scams caused by Wall Street nothing will change and people will stay out of the market

I'm glad that these facts are coming out, shedding bad light on the financial industry for things many of us have known for months to be going on. It's even better to get a strong, negative reaction from the President. However, I do not agree with the final sentence in the article that it "makes a stronger case for nationalization" of some of the institutions. It makes a stronger case for denying them bailout funds and letting them fail.

last time I checked the US gov didn't own the companies or wall street----oh I get it---we want the gov to control private business and earnings. Who says what you make is too much in a FREE market--politicians--what a joke!!

Are you kidding me?

Who cares? We have no recourse as the politicians boost up the 'free market' economy. Do they want the first born of every family also? Let's give to them ~ Oh yes, they take them into the military to fight for corporate holdings in foreign lands, I forgot. And if the first born dies ~ you lucky parents, you get a couple of medals and some papers signed by the President and the Sec. of Defense ~ how touching ! It would surely be wonder to return to a country that had a working constitution. Says do the folks on Wall Street need anymore money? I have a few fiat dollars I can send. Guess I should buy more stocks to bolster the Wall Street elite ~ again or do you want more of my 401K you crooks.

It would have been very simple for the government to include the following sentence in the bail out funds.
"All bonus payments in excess of 10% of gross pay for the previous calendar year will be deducted from the Federal Troubled Asset Recovery Fund."
They are all in on the con- Now with the new secretary of treasury- cheating too!

Our Hypocrite-in-Chief moans and whines about big bad business bonuses, while throwing the most expensive inauguration in history, and throwing himself a very expensive celebration party (wagyu steak, anyone?) after his filibuster-proof congress passed the largest earmark-laden boondoggle in history. His attitude, like most Libs, is "What, me worry? Somebody else is paying for this."

Fortunately for me, the Chicago Politician with the Blank Resume has caused my business to soar. I'm making hay while the sun shines, because if BHO has his way, it won't shines much longer, except maybe for the few to whom he owes favors.
--
www.chl-tx.com

Forgot to mention: Turning down the thermostats is also only for "other people". I'm sure glad I didn't vote for him. I just wish that he'd been running against a real Conservative, and not a RINO.

Obama should have caught the BBC interview with Steve Roach, Merrill's Asia chief. He basically said " why should we not get a bonus - this mess is not our fault". He than went on to pass the buck as to who's fault it was. The consumer was on the list.
"Why give the consumer a laon when their job is quetionable and thus, their ability to pay back" This guy is an Asshole and typical of those that are running the banking industry. I think that same should be applied when taxpayer money is being doled out. We should ask what are your credits and can YOU pay back?
The only real answer is to force the boards of directors of all institutions to fire all of these idiots.

TAXPAYERS REQUESTING BAILOUT
FROM OUR GOVERNMENTS

The federal government, the state government, the county and city governments are all going to raise fees and taxes.

They say they need more money to pay their bills, so they raise our fees and taxes.

They mismanage our tax money and we, the taxpayers, have to bail them out.

They talk about the mismanagement of the companies we are bailing out when will they start talking about their own mismanagement of our taxpayer’s money? Instead of taking some of the blame for all the financial problems, all they can talk about is that they need more money.

They keep talking about a stimulus package to help build the highways and rebuild the infrastructure, yet we already pay taxes to have these things done. What are they doing with the money they are collecting? They are probably using it to pay for the funding of projects that we do not want or need.

Well, you know what? We the people need our money to pay for our food, our gas, our housing, and our needs. And all they can talk about is that they need more money.

When will our elected officials start talking about letting the taxpayers keep our money, so that we can get the economy going without them giving our money to special interest groups?

You don't hear them talking about their salaries, their wages, their retirement packages and policies that we in the private sector do not have and that puts an endless burden on the taxpayers.

When will we hear them start talking about cutting their lucrative salaries, benefit packages, and retirement to all the elected officials and public employees that work for us, the taxpayers?

Maybe the elected officials should have to figure out how to pay for all these things, without coming to the taxpayers to bail them out.

ONE QUESTION: HOW MANY SMALL BUSINESSES WOULD A TRILLION DOLLARS KEEP OPEN?

We need the help of the local and national news media to bring out the facts about the wasteful and unnecessary spending in our state and local governments.
Maybe if we start watching the spending on the state and local levels ... then maybe we can move on to the spending on the national level.

Everyone in this nation needs to pull together as a nation to come out of this recession or depression. Let the public officials lead by example.

We are a healthy nation ... Let's keep it that way.

What these corporate thieves have been doing is, morally, treason. The legal definition of treason needs, in my opinion serious expansion, to include acts of fraud on a scale that weaken the economy and public confidence, and needs the most severe punishment.

Nothing is as shameful as supporting and enabling a Culture of Death. Rewarding swindlers and cheaters. While shaming us "We the People" Slapping police on the wrist calling them bigots while you defend and reward, protect criminals and make up all kinds of excuses for them while taking money from the middle class and handing it over to everything illegal under the sun. Nothing's worse than a liar spreading the wealth really meant taking from the majortiy of middle class's earning and giving it away to pamper prisoners and illegals. Then rewarding politicians with all kinds of goodies using the people's money. Obama, you pizz on people's head and then convince them it's raining. Hypocrite!

maybe they should bring back the public hanging for all the liars and cheaters. or at the very least lock them up. they cant stop themselves from spending our money recklessly. their sense of entitlement does not seem to be going away at all.

they have no idea!!!
today i was talking w/ my wachovia broker. he was p*ssed because he hasn't gotten his retention bonus yet.
every time a brokerage house buys or merges into another firm the, all the brokers get a retention bonus!
jp morgan paid bonuses to it's own brokers and bear's brokers. certainly bankamerica couldn't be paying bonuses after the merrill bonus controversy and with the government's involvement.
well... wrong again - bankamerica is paying retention bonuses to its existing brokers in the 1st qtr of 2010 (when things quiet down).
i know these bonus are intended to keep the brokers from going to other firms but in this market, where would they go?

time to step up mr. president the exess and greed at the top of most major corporations is out of controll . you were elected by the people to change this. Take back the boneses and stop the greed. everyone from minor stokholders to the working poor are paying for their greed stop them now or lose you voter base and our hope for real change.

Yeah! Right Obama is going to stop greed.

Oh! That's right he is the Messiah!

Obama is not MAD...he is just POSTURING for effect on the great unwashed public!

If anyone should be MAD, it is the taxpayer.

How about getting incensed that in a failing economy, with a Congress so totally unproductive with approval ratings in the single digits.....SHOULD THEY TAKE A PAY CUT, AND CUT OUT THEIR FRINGE BENEFITS? DID YOU REALIZE THEY JUST GAVE THEMSELVES A BIG PAY RAISE THIS MONTH???

OBAMA makes a big fuss about CEOs flying corporate jets....BUT OUR MILITARY GENERALS all have private jets with three crews on standby for their private use....not a pool...but individual jets (Gulfstreams)....and not a thing about these folks flying commercial or doing away with the expensive trappings of priviledge.

Just bash the CEOs....not a thing about OUR GOVERNMENT reducing their costs....NOT ONE THING....just throw rocks at CEOs who made lots of money and had jobs for the public....until the housing bubble burst and the wall street fat cats ....Democrats and Republicans alike, and donating millions to both campaigns to make sure they did not get looked at too closely.....they were the first ones to get bail out money....and that came from the CONGRESS....not BUSH.

Hey Barack...Look at yourself first...150 Pizza's flown into Washington DC from out of State?....Ahhh, but the people don't care what little pork is in the Stimulous Bill....AKA Chucky Shumann Democrat from NY. You gave us all $13.00 per week...That should help The People out. You and this demcratic party are killing us all with all these massive programs and bailouts...Now the States are killing us, Soon more cap & Trade programs will eat away further any $$$ we have left...and More and More Coming..Tea Part's? You have not seen anything yet!