Fantastic fuming by David Reilly, a Bloomberg reporter:

I quickly discovered why members of Congress rarely read legislation like this. At 1,279 pages, the “Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act” is a real slog. And yes, I plowed through all those pages. (Memo to Chairman Frank: “ystem” at line 14, page 258 is missing the first “s”.)

The reading was especially painful since this reform sausage is stuffed with more gristle than meat. At least, that is, if you are a taxpayer hoping the bailout train is coming to a halt.

[…] Instead, it supports the biggest banks. It authorizes Federal Reserve banks to provide as much as $4 trillion in emergency funding the next time Wall Street crashes. So much for “no-more-bailouts” talk. That is more than twice what the Fed pumped into markets this time around. The size of the fund makes the bribes in the Senate’s health-care bill look minuscule.

Check out the entire article at Bloomberg.




  1. Breetai says:

    WOW…

    We need to start taking notes from the iranians

    Iranians = Heroes
    US = Fucking Cowards who won’t stand up for themselves while the people get looted.

  2. Faxon says:

    How does this sleazy ignorant pervert get re elected?

  3. LOWER CASE SCREEN NAME says:

    Geez, that won’t be enough. Better make it an even 5 trillion at least.

  4. jobs says:

    #5 He’s from Massachusetts. We’ll vote for anyone that says they’re a democrat… no questions asked.

  5. Ah_Yea says:

    Again we see who the masters of the Obama Administration really are.

  6. LOWER CASE SCREEN NAME says:

    #5 – Change you can believe in…

  7. moi says:

    @ Breetai #1

    No you have it wrong, you see the Iranians standing up to their government and showing their displeasure in such a manner is good according to the PTB.

    But if Americans got tired of the corrupt fascist system we have and tried something similar, it would be considered treasonous, racist etc..by the PTB.

    Remember the last uprising in Iran. When the PTB were applauding the sue of twitter to foment in it? Remember what happened to the couple of individuals who were organizing protesters at the G20 summit in Philly using twitter? They are in jail.

    So you see the current regime in the US of A wants regime change in Iran, so violence against a government is good. I doubt they would give the same response when people here express displeasure.

  8. Mr. Fusion says:

    The right wing nuts are at it again. There is nothing in the bill about GIVING the banks anything. Its really too bad some people can’t read. It’s a true shame that so many can’t think either.

  9. tbarrey says:

    #8. Why is it you always defend this degenerate Piece Of Shit? Do you think that by using the term “right wing nut” you accomplish anything? What an ass.

    Birds of a feather I presume. You disgust me. No more bailouts for the failures…thats it.

  10. brm says:

    #8:

    “There is nothing in the bill about GIVING the banks anything.”

    Well, yeah, not unless they *ask* for it. Which is different.

  11. Dallas says:

    Insuring the financial system makes sense to me. It’s the underpinning of the economy.

    By the way…
    (1) provisions for any bailout call for a 99% guaranteed payback
    (2) it still has to be approved by Congress
    (3) banks have already paid back the government – with interest
    (4) this ‘news’ took place in early November.
    (5) you should avoid commenting on things that are way over your head. Maybe football or golf.

  12. Father says:

    Guarantees for mistakes, are guarantees that there will be mistakes.

    This is the world’s largest Dump-then-Pump (ie reverse Pump-and-Dump) swindle ever engineered. The bank only have to claim their assets (loans) have no value, their stock price then tumbles (after they’ve sold), the government backs the bad loans so that the banks can’t lose money, and the banks buy back their stocks before they recover their previous share price. Didn’t JCD explain this on No Adgenda?

    We should let the banks fail, after I’ve converted my savings to gold.

  13. Ah_Yea says:

    Hey Fusion, Dallas, Obamapologistforever,

    I want you to read my link in post #5 and hear your winy little excuses when the truth smacks you upside your knotty little heads.

  14. Ah_Yea says:

    Still Waiting….

  15. Somebody says:

    Oh, and if you see Matt Taibbi board your flight, get off.

  16. Ah_Yea says:

    Fusion, Dallas, Obamapologistforever.

    Yea, I thought so.

  17. ggore says:

    Interesting how you Obama-haters would rather see this country in a 30-year depression than try to prevent one from happening. We are FAR better off right now after the bailouts than we would be had the banks been allowed to fail. The banks are paying off those bailouts, something you seem to deny for some reason. The economy has not bounced back fully yet, that will take a while since those credit default swaps almost caused the entire planet’s banking system to collapse.

    The fact the Republicans let the banks get into the position of needing bailouts in the first place, by means of credit default swaps, which were illegal up until the Bush administration is just totally repulsive to me. They would rather have seen the country go into a depression so they could blame it on Obama, than try to fix it themselves.

  18. amodedoma says:

    OMG, so they’re actually planning the next crisis. I wonder how long they’ll hold off before cashing in on that one. I just can’t get over how blatantly and shamelessly these politicians sell out. Anarchy would be preferable to a pseudo democracy completely tuned to the needs of the richest and most influential. Yep got plenty of money to ‘bailout'(subsidize is the proper name) these people, but no social medicine for the poor.

    I reiterate,
    it’s not too late,
    to emigrate.

  19. KMFIX says:

    No new law, regulation, bill, etc, should ever exceed 1 page of double spaced standard type. If it’s longer than that, it obviously contains bullshit and loopholes..

  20. Ralph, the Bus Driver says:

    #12, deowll

    #8 I’d be more impressed if I thought you had actually looked.

    I’d be even more impressed if I didn’t think you were delusional.

    For example you like the Senate health care bill …

    Now that is just stupendous! You criticize Fusion and then ramble off into some other bullshit. So what was wrong with Fusion’s post? Can’t you find any factual errors? No, you can only revert to the Republican true and tried position of changing the subject.

  21. Phydeau says:

    Things sure look dismal for us liberals. Obama and the Democratically controlled Congress are acting just like Republicans: sucking up to the big boys, giving away the store, just like Republicans have been doing for decades.

    So why are you wingnuts bitching? You wanted a Republican elected, you got a Democrat who acts like a Republican. You think McCain would have done anything different? The only thing different he would have done is the health care thing, he wouldn’t have even tried to get health care for everyone. Everything else, he would have done the same. Or worse — he would have given more money to the bankers with more sweetheart deals. Because Republicans have always been more cozy ‘n cuddly with the big money boys than the Democrats.

    So what are you bitching about? You got your Republican elected — if it quacks, waddles, and swims like a duck…

  22. ethanol says:

    @Ah_Yea,

    Fusion and Dallas have it basically right on this one. Go read the Bloomberg article. It is an incredibly misleading headline. I see the $4 trillion, but it requires a 99% guarantee of payback which is nearly impossible. If there was a 99% guarantee of payback, a foreign sovereign wealth fund would buy it first. I also see a bond backing, which does sound like a bad idea.

    The bill does target Goldman Sachs’ unfair trading practices, it does target ridiculous pay schemes, it does create a consumer protection agency, it does fold the OTS (who I am quite familiar with) into the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.

    Overall not a great bill, but not a giant disaster either. Typical of our leaders from either side of the aisle to produce legislation that is milquetoast.

  23. Angus says:

    I think it’s time for a series of banking monopoly break-ups, much like the government did with Bell Telephone back in the 1980s. There are a few banks that control too much of the United States’ economy to be trusted implicitly.

  24. Dallas says:

    #14 OK, I rushed to read your suggested 6 pager opinion from RollingStone after eating breakfast, playing with photographs I took last night and reading some real news (not here).

    Interesting but admittedly I got the gist in the first couple of pages and did not read the whole thing. I may go back but it’s New Years Eve and I’m getting into the groove.

    Comments:
    * You know what they say about opinions? Good. That’s what first comes to mind.
    * I would grant you some things cited are counter to what Obama said he would do. I also promised each of my nephews a computer for Christmas but due to unforeseen circumstances, they had to share two new ones.
    * Obama has and continues to have a clear vision for the long term success and competitiveness for the country. I still believe that and support him. You should too after you get over the fact he’s black.
    * Obama is trustworthy, unlike the secret regime of the Cheney presidency. Excuse me while I throw up on your new found concern for honesty.
    * I’m afraid that the economic abyss left by President Cheney and his chimp necessitates sleeping with the devil – bankers, lawyers and insurance companies.
    * I don’t expect ‘Joe the Plumber’ sheeps of America to have a clue what it takes to dig ourselves out of the hole your party left.
    * I am amongst the top 5% in accumulated wealth or income. Yet I don’t expect that 5% of the population to pay 5% of taxes. I believe in Capitalism and the American system. I believe taxes are still paid in the country when money changes hands.
    * I am amongst top 3% in education. Still, I don’t pretend to know what it takes to solve our problems but I do know there are good and smart people trying to do just that. It will take running over a few Republicans looking out for the next election but I’m good with that.

    So, unlike you who simply pointed to some cherry picked internet site that supports your views, I went out of my way to read it and respond to you. Your welcome!

  25. Phydeau says:

    #27 Excuse me while I throw up on your new found concern for honesty.

    Great line, I laughed because it’s so true!

    Well Dallas, you’re more optimistic about Obama than I am. I hope you’re right…

  26. Dallas says:

    #28 Optimistic indeed about our country but it takes leadership to see it through. I know a good leader when I see one.

    Evidently the world community agrees by awarding him a Nobel Peace Prize for his vision and courage to take the world’s most powerful nation to next level. Hopefully rule by fear and viewing the world with dated cold war era goggles is gone.

    As a technologist, I’m particularly excited about the prospects of this country leading in renewable energy. It promises to be even bigger than the current semiconductor industry (which I am a part of), you watch.

  27. amodedoma says:

    #29 Dallas

    Totally agree that the US’s big opportunity is high tech, and has been since WWII. But to be leader in renewable energy the government needs to subsidize research, right now they’re way behind.
    That’s what normal economies do, not just manipulate the political system to make money doing things any way you want. As it is, the US is spending less and less on research that’s not intended directly for military application. Had the bailout money gone to pure research into alternative energies, by now you’d have some very lucrative patents and a budding industry that creates jobs. Seems like the americans only like paying taxes when they’re getting screwed over, and anything that sounds like investing in the future is a scam.

  28. Mr. Fusion says:

    #14, Ah Yea,

    Hey Fusion, Dallas, Obamapologistforever,

    I want you to read my link in post #5 and hear your winy little excuses when the truth smacks you upside your knotty little heads.

    The problem is what should I read. The whole article?. The headline? The source? The whole thing? You are so mentally deficient you neglected to tell us.

    As I have repeated many times. I don’t read an article or book just because you, or anyone, want me to. Reference your point, or if necessary quote a small part of it. If your reference intrigues me I will research it deeper. If, as it appears this is, the article is just another bullshit piece I’ll ignore it.

    Now, I would like you to read the Communist Manifesto. No, I doubt you would gain anything as it was written in very dry language and translated into English. Too far above your comprehension. Yet it is a seminal work in the history of sociology and economics.

    And no, unlike you, I didn’t come in my pants asking you to read it.

  29. amodedoma says:

    #5 Ah Yeah

    Ah Thanks, for the link, what a wholly depressing article. Well written and documented. What’s really baking my noodle is what the hell all this means. I mean, we always knew the system stank, but at least before they made an effort at discretion. I find it frightening that they no longer try.

  30. Obamaforever says:

    From: Obamaforever
    To: All Tea Baggers
    To: Cherman

    Quote:
    It authorizes Federal Reserve banks to provide as much as $4 trillion in emergency funding the next time Wall Street crashes.
    End of quote.

    Dear Tea Baggers;

    Please direct me to where in the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act it says that we will provide $4 trillion in emergency funding to Wall Street. Please be specific and provide the link.

    Cherman, since this is your article, I suggest you do the heavy lifting and provide the information!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    PS Ah_Yea, if I want any crap from you I will squeeze your pointed head.


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