Why did the bailout package fail?

I think the answer is really simple: they sold it to the wrong people.

Not that I can blame them - the tactic they used has worked out really well in the past: have a closed meeting with people from congress, make a minimal number of speeches with very vague language (or outright lies, e.g. Iraqi nukes), and presto! They get what they want. So what happened?

I think it comes down to timing. In three weeks every single member of the House is up for re-election and if they vote against their constituents (regardless of their conscience) this will be their last vote ever. Due to these special circumstances the opinion of the people actually matters, and the people are pissed off and making sure Congress knows it. The tables have turned but the White House and the Secretary of Treasury completely failed to notice.

So if anyone in DC wants this thing to happen, they need to stop pointing fingers at each other and address the real issue: No one has told the American people why the hell we should care about what happens on Wall Street beyond our own 401ks or why any of the packages would help us (all of us, not just rich people). If they actually want this plan to happen they need to sell it not to each other, but to *us*. Which means convincing a really good speaker, not to the chambers but to the people, that we need this thing and s/he needs to tell us why. Where could they find such a person? Hmm. . .

(for the record, none of the packages float my boat - it feels like all the variants boil down to free money for Wall Street, either directly or through tax cuts, without actually addressing the underlying issue of trust)

Why did the bailout package fail?

I think the answer is really simple: they sold it to the wrong people.

Not that I can blame them - the tactic they used has worked out really well in the past: have a closed meeting with people from congress, make a minimal number of speeches with very vague language (or outright lies, e.g. Iraqi nukes), and presto! They get what they want. So what happened?

I think it comes down to timing. In three weeks every single member of the House is up for re-election and if they vote against their constituents (regardless of their conscience) this will be their last vote ever. Due to these special circumstances the opinion of the people actually matters, and the people are pissed off and making sure Congress knows it. The tables have turned but the White House and the Secretary of Treasury completely failed to notice.

So if anyone in DC wants this thing to happen, they need to stop pointing fingers at each other and address the real issue: No one has told the American people why the hell we should care about what happens on Wall Street beyond our own 401ks or why any of the packages would help us (all of us, not just rich people). If they actually want this plan to happen they need to sell it not to each other, but to *us*. Which means convincing a really good speaker, not to the chambers but to the people, that we need this thing and s/he needs to tell us why. Where could they find such a person? Hmm. . .

(for the record, none of the packages float my boat - it feels like all the variants boil down to free money for Wall Street, either directly or through tax cuts, without actually addressing the underlying issue of trust)

I can has procrastination!

* Grab the nearest book.
* Open the book to page 56.
* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post the text of the next two to five sentences in your journal along with these instructions.
* Don't dig for your favorite book, the cool book, or the intellectual one: pick the CLOSEST.

The total absence from work amounted to 1120 working hours per year, with a total cost (private and social costs) of 96,410 euros. In CDTG, the occurrence of migraine attacks dropped from 8405 before treatment to 3927 after 6 months and 3084 after 1 year. The total absence from work amounted to 1404 working days per year, with a total cost of 137,694 euros. Acupuncture proved more effective than conventional drug therapy in the treatment of migraine without aura.

I can has procrastination!

* Grab the nearest book.
* Open the book to page 56.
* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post the text of the next two to five sentences in your journal along with these instructions.
* Don't dig for your favorite book, the cool book, or the intellectual one: pick the CLOSEST.

The total absence from work amounted to 1120 working hours per year, with a total cost (private and social costs) of 96,410 euros. In CDTG, the occurrence of migraine attacks dropped from 8405 before treatment to 3927 after 6 months and 3084 after 1 year. The total absence from work amounted to 1404 working days per year, with a total cost of 137,694 euros. Acupuncture proved more effective than conventional drug therapy in the treatment of migraine without aura.

Shana Metuca

Seeing the Colbert Report reminded me to say this:

May our economy be written into the book of life.

(yes, I respond to stress with horrible jokes, why do you ask?)

Shana Metuca

Seeing the Colbert Report reminded me to say this:

May our economy be written into the book of life.

(yes, I respond to stress with horrible jokes, why do you ask?)