GOP socialism

Republicans, the "business is best" or the "pull yourself up by your own bootstraps" party says, "EEEW! Government is bad!"

As "Trickle Down Ronnie," ranting about the nine most terrifying words in the English language, said, "I'm from the government and I'm here to help." But where do these split-tongued, mealy mouths turn when their vaunted markets and corporations are heading for the dumper? Yep! The government and we taxpayers.

Is there no difference between looking to taxpayers to bail out markets and corporations and calling it socialism? That's what we are doing for Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae ... government welfare, the dole. And Ronnie worried about welfare queens.

What brought this mess on? "The Faux Bush Boom" and mostly the inability to self-regulate. They cannot regulate themselves. And yet they want to govern all of us. EEEW!

RICHARD RICH
Pine

Destructive power

Regarding Victoria Green's Aug. 10 letter ("Government Should Not Be Involved in Bailouts"): While I agree with nearly everything she said and am pleased to hear some grossly neglected points raised, I disagree about the federal takeover of Fannie and Freddie.

This is one of few situations in which the businesses being interceded against are irresponsible enough and influential enough to leave no alternative to this course of action. The lending industries are like the gorilla with an H-bomb.

BRUCE REISNER
Perry Hilltop

More to come?

Regarding Lehman Brothers' problems: Who will be next? One wonders as to the extent to which these troubles might be attributed to Lehman's activity in the subprime mortgage game, as it has been played -- as it likely is still be being played?

Individual responsibility on the part of some borrowers notwithstanding, a significant part of the subprime problem comes from the inattention of responsible parties, those federal regulators who failed to regulate.

Then there is the role of the U.S. House and Senate, which created the existing law, which allowed subprime shenanigans.

The irresponsible lenders and their agents and those who "bundled" the mortgage equivalent of junk bonds into "investment grade securities" seem to be skating away unprosecuted. Is there any reasonable expectation the same thing will not be seen again? The headline on Dan Simpson's Sept. 10 column asked, "Who's Looking Out for the Taxpayers?" The answer is nobody.

ALAN SCHULTZ
McCandless

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