A brief history of economic policies since the New Deal, and why we've had crises like this ever since Reagan. "Obama is correct that the best opportunity for making the economy work for all Americas is to fire those who made up the current rules of the game."

Nothing similar happen during Clinton era (beside dirty games of Gingrich). May be the roots are in that deregulation, but whole story begun after 2001. Gore warned about all dangers of Bush's social and financial proposals in 2000, raised awareness before "four more years"... In vain. We are getting what we deserved.

But, but, I thought it was the fault of ACORN, the CRA, and poor black and brown folk thinking they could be homeowners? I'm so confused...

History will show, already does show, that the systemic monetarist system spawned by the Thatcher-Regan axis is the basic cause of the the current 'embarrasment'
.

loan them the money. please do not give it to them.
do not buy there mortgages. they no best how to sell them They have the staff to do it. If we are to become partners in their business, and they are near bankrupsy, require 50% interest in their business.
that would be fair to the taxpayers,
and it would be fair to them.

suggest non voting equity, with the right to sell if the deal goes sour

dulios - I, too - since you first mentioned this - have heard the accusation that poor people - especially brown ones - are to blame. I knew somebody would try to pin the blame on poor people - you probably did, too. It's dazzlingly stupid - to think that poor people defaulting on small mortgages would take down the entire world economy! Dazzlingly stupid. Fortunately, Alan Greenspan himself said the crisis was not a result of defaulted mortgages, but a result of "the securitization of" risky-mortgage-backed funds sold without regulation to investors.

jkm - good ideas! There has to be a way to not just hand out the money.