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The Fatal Conceit

by John Stossel

We've been rolled again.

Sure, the economy is in bad shape — though the late '70s and early '80s were worse in many ways (http://tinyurl.com/dg59zn), but is it true that every economist agrees that massive "stimulus" is the solution?

"A failure to act, and act now, will turn a crisis into a catastrophe," President Obama said.

If someone expresses skepticism, Obama and other political leaders suggest that economists are unanimous in believing that ...

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Posted by: Shirley deLong
Comment: #1
Sun Mar 15, 2009 4:09 PM

Fed Chairman, Ben Bernanke, stated and I'm quoting ‘We really had no choice in bailout of AIG!' Yes, Mr. Bernanke, you did have a choice! When AIG received first bailout, why weren't strict guidelines imposed on them; such as, NO MORE BONUSES, cut ‘CEO fat cat' salaries, freebies, and retirements to maximum $25,000.00 year. Older employees, offer them an early retirement package! All other salaries to be cut by at least one-quarter, as a slice of the pie is better than no slice at all! Mr. Bernanke this includes you and the rest of politicians! The other option would have been to let AIG file bankruptcy so they could start over, and maybe this time they would be more concerned and knowledgeable of what it takes to run a company by tightening their pocketbooks! You see, Mr. Bernanke, bad choices is what's put America into Bankruptcy and borrowing money from foreign countries that we can't pay the interest on! Where's the common sense in these matters? Taxpayers understand Bay of Thailand is buying AIG Retail Bank Company and deal is to be completed April 2009. Since this is really Taxpayers money, will you and rest of politicians make sure AIG pay off the trillions of dollars borrowed, without Taxpayers' consent, to foreign countries? That brings Taxpayers to the latest for AIG's bonuses and the statement “If we don't pay them big bonues, they'll sue us!” How dumb you are? It's Taxpayers' money, not yours to give! It's time for for AIG, Freddie, Fannie, Banks, Automakers and anyone else standing in line taking Taxpayers money to immediately file Bankruptcy! Enough is Enough! President Obama's top economic advisers vigorously defends his 3.6 trillion budget! News flash for you -- “Taxpayers don't defend this nor any of the so-called put people back to work programs, called infrastructures. I just left a meeting in which one of the ‘economic advisers' from a bank stated he'd been in DC for a week!” I asked him why he thought America needed infrastructures if we didn't bring textile and furniture manufacturing jobs back to America? He stated ‘they' didn't discuss this, just infrastructures! Remember, these large banks like Citicorp, Wachovia, etc. were bailed out! Taxpayers wonder why we're bailing them out if politicians continue allowing the ‘economic' idiots to advise them. He had no answers! Guess what, Mr. Economic Adviser was hoping the floor would open up and I'd fall through it! You see, all the expert politicians and economists know as much about ‘thrifty management' as a newborn and this, folks, is the reason for Change and not Obama's change methods, either! There seems to be a lot of ‘experts' in government and financial institutions with no common sense. It's time to run America like a private business; meaning, President, Vice- President, Secretary, and Treasurer. All these cabinet members collecting huge salaries and benefits will have to come to an end. Taxpayers know it's time to cut salaries to $12,000.00 yearly for all politicians. After all, these Public Servant jobs give less than 30 days of service and, in today's world of mismanagement, deceit and greed, so this is more money than they deserve. Why aren't we prosecuting the people handing out Taxpayers monies and the people who's receiving it? The reasons being very clear-who's collecting and benefiting! WAKE UP AMERICA!

Posted by: "SAM"
Comment: #2
Sun Mar 15, 2009 9:33 PM

We've been getting rolled for a very long time. We've been subsidizing the SUV industry all the while - See this ABC article: http://abcnews.go.com/technology/hybrid/Story?id=97505&page=1

Posted by: Forrest
Comment: #3
Wed Mar 11, 2009 7:18 AM

Do you think it is arrogance alone or a basic failure to look at simple facts? Before this financial mess began, 20% of the total annual federal revenue (receipts) were required to pay the interest on the federal debt ($9 trillion). Projected total national debt is now $13 trillion, minimum, and climbing. Total revenues for the next few years will decrease due to the massive losses that will be applied by taxpayers. The % of that revenue stream required to pay the interest on that debt will increase from 20% to at least 33% (& that assumes that interest rates do not increase which is highly unlikely). While it is mathematically possible to pay off this debt, it is not likely given our elected officials penchant for spending programs. National bankruptcy is the likely answer.

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