Political Quotes

“before I voted for the bailout I said, regrettably, a bailout is needed. I voted to get credit flowing again to the distressed homeowner, to families and to small businesses. I didn't vote to give the money to banks to enable them to continue their flawed policies, their hubris and their high handedness. And I didn't do it so they could be ungrateful, buy other banks, or give out dividends, and to take executives on spa treatments. I was mad as hell that the Wall Street Master of the Universe took us into a black hole. And I am mad as hell now that they didn't thank the taxpayer. The Bush administration misled us about what they would do with the money. Now we're finding both they and the banks misused the funds, abused the taxpayer and squandered both the money and the opportunity. I said if we were going to have a bailout we needed three things, rescue, reform, and retribution. I said, no blank checks and no checks without balances, help homeowners, and guarantee no golden parachutes for the people who got us into this mess. Did the Bush administration listen? No. Paulson dodged and ducked, and the taxpayers got duped. Distressed homeowners were left in the lurch. Bernie Madoff is in his luxurious penthouse and homeowners are being foreclosed and evicted. What's wrong with this picture? We have already given $350 billion to the big banks, who said they were going to lend it, and said they were going to have transparency.…”