How did this happen?

Some of the largest businesses in the world made terrible investments. Lenders relaxed credit standards to give loans that were unlikely to be repaid. Many individuals got themselves into houses they couldn’t afford with shaky mortgages.

Regular Americans don’t have much control over any of these people or companies, but we do have control over who represents us in government. Politicians created the conditions that led to the Wall Street meltdown:

  • The Federal Reserve’s Easy Money
  • Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
  • Hastily-designed Accounting Rules
  • Harmful Lending Mandates
  • “Dirty” Tax Code:

Learn about the causes of the crisis and hold Congress accountable.

Click here for more info

What do we do now?

As markets and businesses take corrective action themselves for the excesses of the past few years, there are things that Congress can do to address some of the root causes:

  • Privatize Fannie and Freddie
  • Prosecute Corrupt Officials
  • Suspend Destructive Accounting Rules
  • Repeal the Community Reinvestment Act
  • Clean Up the Tax Code

Instead of shoveling more taxpayer money into the bailout hole, Congress should change the government policies that helped create this mess in the first place.

That means privatizing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, reforming destructive accounting rules, and getting rid of lending laws that force banks to make bad loans.

Click here for more info

What is BeyondBailouts.org?

BeyondBailouts.org is a joint venture of the National Taxpayers Union (NTU) and Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI). The purpose of the website is to educate about government’s role in our current financial difficulties, suggest reforms that address those root causes, and provide a clearinghouse for the latest analysis of the financial crisis. But most of all, it’s an outlet for Americans to contact their Members of Congress and the Administration to express their frustration.

Stay Informed

Get daily updates from BeyondBailouts.org
Enter your email address:

Powered by FeedBurner