The sun is still shining! The grass is still green! Puppies
are still adorable! Whew.
Despite the gloom and doom predictions, Congress’ failure to pass Paulson’s
original bailout plan yesterday did not lead to the immediate implosion of our
economy. In fact, the stock market was up this
morning. So I think we can now safely set aside the threats of those who tried
to frighten us into accepting an awful bailout plan. It seems that there is a
brief time for us to address this problem fairly, effectively and responsibly.
So what should we do?
Let’s seize this opportunity to propose a truly progressive solution. We should
tell Congress, and especially the House leadership, that we need a fresh,
thoughtful alternative centered on the following key principles:
1. Do more to make Wall Street, not working families, bear the brunt of the
financial burden.
2. Adopt stronger rules to protect us from banks that are “too big to fail” and
the reckless, over-the-top borrowing that left our financial system teetering
on the edge.
3. Do more to help struggling families stay in their homes -- including
allowing bankruptcy judges to let homeowners negotiate new terms for their
mortgages.
4. Commit to the public investments that we know will pay off for America –
including clean energy, health care and education.
If you support these goals, please send an email to Nancy Pelosi telling
her that you expect a fair, progressive solution to this crisis.
We should take action to make our economy stronger; but let’s not leave behind
our values as we do it.
