I don't think it's fair to blame the financial crisis on stupidity.

[Jackpine Radical]

I just haven't decided yet whether it was LIHOP or MIHOP. In this case, I'm not even sure there's a difference. I do know the gang is already out of town with the first installment of the loot, though.

http://www.mindfully.org/Reform/2003/$87-Billion-Gang8sep03.jpg

[elleng]

1. Not STUPIDITY,

CUPIDITY!

[PM Martin]

2. The Republicans and Neo-Cons raped

the nation for every cent they had. Simple as that.
They knew the results that would occur and they could give a damn less.
The super wealthy can now go and party at the world's most exclusive locations and buy up all of the ocean front property all the while billions of us have been "screwed over".

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

3. No, it was theft

which requires stupidity to be this successful

[ben_meyers]

4. Some of the "gang" that advised a President to sign the

Financial Services Modernization Act of 1999 and the Commodity Futures Modernization Act of 2000(also known as the Enron Loophole) are riding back into town, JR. Cut and paste those two pieces of legislation into the Google and get back to me on LIHOP/MIHOP.

I'll still go with stupidity.

[buzzard]

5. Agreed they let the bucket shops open up again.n/t

[Jackpine Radical]

8. That's certainly true, but I think the Clintonites mostly did it as a compromise

in order to get some kind of legislation through a Phil Gramm-run, Republican financial cabal in Congress. I'll but that THEY were stupid, but I think the guys who devised and pushed the plan knew full well what they were doing.

[ben_meyers]

9. Makes you wonder, if they had been successful in removing

Clinton from office would Al Gore have "compromised" in the same way?

And the real worry is that many of the "Clintonites" are seeping into the new administration.

[Tigress DEM]

6. I still say Greed.

There were lots of stupid little people who all thought, "Hey, the market is opening up to ME! Wow! I can do this too! I can be rich."

Market has always been a gamble with the rich manipulating it so they win and we lose. Like the way things favor the house in Vegas. The ONLY people they even partially care about are the high rollers because they know those bubs will drop more that most of us see in a year of labor without batting an eyelash.

But the reason things are "crashing" now is because the rich have decided to take "their" money and go home. Just like when Black Tuesday hit and there were runs on banks - this time they took it out of the market after suckering a lot of businesses to put our 401Ks in there and opening it up to the little people.

But GREED of those 720+ billionaires created by *ush during his time in office is what is sucking the money out of this country.

Funny thing is, we may wind up doing something really radical like going to a different system - like barter - so those people holding cash might wind up with bubkiss and people with talent and industry might actually get ahead.

Be nice. But I'm not holding my breath.

[BeatleBoot]

7. They grilled the Automakers, but no questions for the Banks - Zero.

They never posed one question to AIG, Lehman Bros, et al.

Michigan won't forget.

[kentuck]

10. They will return to the scene of the crime.

And they will not be satisfied until they have every red cent of that $700 billion before Obama takes office. Of course, it was so easy the first time, why not try it again. CitiGroup comes to town tomorrow with their sad story before Congress. Look for them to get another $50 billion before GM gets one penny. Some people rob you with a gun and some with a fountain pen. Keep your eye on Robert Rubin.