Current Economic Crisis

Remember that chart of smiley faces that you see in your high school guidance counselor's office? :-) is happy. :-( is sad. Well, if someone saw my face while I watch the news coverage of the economic crisis, they could accurately add WTF to that face chart. Seriously, WTF?

How can the Republicans who stand for a laissez-faire economy seriously be advocating a massive government bail-out of so many large corporations. Possibly $1,000,000,000,000? 12 zeroes??? Seriously? WTF?!?!

These people want to have their cake and eat it too, and it's time someone called them out. They want no regulation in the market when the market is going well, saying that big government shouldn't interfere with the practices of business. Now this argument is compelling. I don't necessarily agree or disagree with it, but if you want a hands-off government, that's what you have to have. You can't say government should not interfere in business unless the businesses are failing. It makes no sense.

The argument that has been made by republicans over the last 20 years is that the government should not regulate business because in a capitalist economy, businesses will regulate themselves. For example, a mortgage loan business that makes bad loans will fail and another will take its place. This argument fails completely when the government gets involved AT ALL. If the government bails out the mortgage loan business, you are preventing ethical, better regulated businesses from advancing in the market.

So by the republican's philosophy, they either have to admit they've been wrong for the last 20 years or that they are wrong now. They can't have it both ways, and they cannot complain about social welfare programs to tax-payers when those same tax-payers are paying for corporate welfare. It makes no sense. I really think Ron Paul is the only Republican that ever makes sense anymore, and the republicans think he's the crazy one.

I tend to prefer regulation. I just thought that the government was there to serve us, not the interests of business. More regulation in the first place would have prevented this disaster and saved my tax dollars.