"Never Do I Want to Hear Again From My Conservative Friends about..."

Our economy -- at home, down the street and on Wall Street -- is truly at risk. Washington Post op-ed writer" E. J. Dionne, Jr. writes today "The Street on Welfare." He begins with ...

"Never do I want to hear again from my conservative friends about how brilliant capitalists are, how much they deserve their seven-figure salaries and how government should keep its hands off the private economy. ... But in the enthusiasm for deregulation that took root in the late 1970's, flowered in the Reagan era and reached its apogee in the second Bush years, we forgot the lesson that government needs to keep a careful watch on what capitalists do. "

There is much more, but Dionne's last words are particularly worthy ...
"So now the bailouts begin, and Wall Street usefully might feel a bit of gratitude, perhaps by being willing to have the wealthy foot some of the bill or to acknowledge that while its denizens were getting rich, a lot of Americans were losing jobs and health insurance. I'm waiting."

Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke acted on Friday -- Bear Stearns Bailout -- and again today -- "Fed Cuts Key Interest Rate". Bernanke will likely need to be taking additional actions as he in part uses what legislative "safety nets" remain. These "safety nets" -- legislation originally designed and utilized by Franklin Delano Roosevelt to reconstruct our nation's economy from the collapse of big business during the Great Depression -- are important tools. It will also be important for the President and the Congress to work together to make sure that working people don't get stuck paying more of the price than they already have.

Our need for new jobs, health insurance and opportunities for education and new skills will be balanced against the cost of bailouts. $1 Billion was the cost of Friday's bailout. The cost of the Iraq war will soon be $600 Billion.

For today, we ask you: Please pause ... think about what could have been done with this money had President Bush and his followers been more careful about going to war. How many kids could we have sent to college? How much research could have been paid for ... research that would have made this country energy independent.?What will the families of the 4000 soldiers lost to war do without their sons and daughters? What can we do to strengthen our Congress so that we both end the war and end the Bush tax cuts that benefit only the richest people in our country?

Thank you.