1 On the other hand, if you had been a CEO of one of these companies, you would have made half a billion and would have been handed a 10 million dollar bonus as you got fired (a bonus paid for by tax-payer dollars). This is called the 401-cognac plan.

2 I am probably MORE disgusted by the bailout than you are Karlo. My feeling is that the Government intervention will cause a more trouble than even the corrupt CEO's. Because of FDR, the Depression lasted at least twice as long as it would have otherwise,the only thing that ended it when it did under the policies extant under FDR was WW2 ; and we'd be a lot less socialistic than we are today. The Free Market DOES work, Govt's. role SHOULD merely to be the arbiter of conflict between parties, NOT to be a direct participant. THAT is the way the Founders set it up, and it worked well up until the social engineers came into power and started to foul up the works. The current crises is a fine example. GOV. REQUIRED lenders to provide loans to people that were not qualified for them (greaT VOTE-GETTING POLICY!)and backed up the loans with public money..and that worked until the number of defaulters became larger than the banks' ability to absorb the losses and called on the gov. guarentee in amounts that could no longer be hidden under Fanny and Freddy's cooked books. We should just let the market adjust itself; ride out the year or so rough spot, and then remember to not go that route again.