Idea as part of any "rescue plan": hearings immediately in the Senate and House

[steve2470]

I think the only way that a simple majority of Americans will support a bailout/rescue plan, is to immediately convene hearings in both Senate and House and subpoena executives from the firms that dealt with the securities at issue here. This should be done for two reasons: 1- For purely informational purposes, to help everyone understand how the economy got into this bind, and 2- as a "punishment" of sorts for the executives. I'm no expert on securities laws, but I'm willing to wager that in many, if not most cases, they did nothing "illegal" and perhaps not even actionable in civil court. Immoral/unethical, probably so, but legally most if not almost all of them would skate free.

During these hearings, there should also be testimony from economic experts from across the ideological spectrum on the nature of the crisis. The economists should be testifying first, then the corporate executives and ex-executives. Congress can pass a bill while holding the hearings.

Without hearings that fully expose the problems, Americans will not go for this.

[ContinentalOp]

1. No time for that. We expect the check in the mail by Friday... OR ELSE. -nt-

[Eric J in MN]

2. Yes, Congress should listen to a wide variety of people for months.

CEOs, college professors, authors of books about financial matters, etc.

Congress shouldn't rush legislation.