[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 16]
[House]
[Page 22899]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




           TAXPAYERS: DANCING WITH BEARS AND FOLLOWING BULLS

  (Mr. KUCINICH asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. KUCINICH. The $700 billion bailout for Wall Street is being 
driven by fear, not fact. This is too much money in too short a time 
going to too few people while too many questions remain unanswered.
  Why aren't we having hearings on the plan we have just received? Why 
aren't we questioning the underlying premise of the need for a bailout 
with taxpayers' money? Why have we not even considered any alternatives 
other than to give $700 billion to Wall Street? Why aren't we asking 
Wall Street to clean up its own mess? Why aren't we passing new laws to 
stop the speculation which triggered this? Why aren't we putting up new 
regulatory structures to protect the investors? How do we even value 
the $700 billion in toxic assets? Why aren't we directly helping 
homeowners with their debt burden? Why aren't we helping American 
families faced with bankruptcies? Why aren't we reducing debts for Main 
Street instead of Wall Street? Isn't it time for fundamental change in 
our debt-based monetary system so we can free ourselves from the 
manipulation by the Federal Reserve and the banks? Is this the United 
States Congress or the board of directors of Goldman Sachs?
  Wall Street is a place of bears and bulls. It's not smart to force 
taxpayers to dance with bears or to follow closely behind the bulls.

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