This bailout bill was just too much to swallow, and we're glad to see that Rehberg didn't swallow it.
Yes, we have heard all of the arguments about how the economy will go into meltdown because of its failure -- isn't that called an "adjustment?"
It is true that many of the same people who are cheering on the destruction of the greedy fatcats on Wall Street might later be wishing that something had been done if they see that the rot has extended to their own apple-barrel. But what seems to be the case in our conversations with ordinary non-political, non-financier types is that they are resigned to a very bad spell in the economy no matter what is done.
The question is whether we are heading into bad times with Wall Street multi-millionaires federally insulated from much of the pain. Amazingly enough, people would seem to prefer that the greedy types on Wall Street start jumping out of windows. We don't like the idea of suicide -- we would recommend that those who have lost their gazillions put on sackcloth and ashes and head down to Washington to start fingering the Congressmen and bureaucrats who were complicit in this mess. We suspect they will, and it can't happen soon enough.
Call it Schadenfreude, call it what you will. But you don't have 228 Democrats and Republicans voting against a bill that has widely been billed as vital for our nation's financial health unless their phones are ringing off the hook by angry ordinary taxpayers who vote -- and the only thing that Congressmen fear more than bad relations with their campaign contributors is getting voted out of office.
