I agree that we should eliminate any regulations that encourage or force banks to make bad loans.

Having said that, I'd argue that the biggest contributors to the meltdown were:

1. The unregulated creation of securitized "mortgage salads with toxic loan croutons".
2. The failure of the risk rating companies to do their job.
3. Interest rates forced too low to make conservative investment attractive.
4. Greed

I also agree that government functions are not fool-proof. On the contrary, I'd advocate for more "business-style" incentives for making government effective. We should make it possible for government workers to earn big rewards for improving efficiency and lowering cost. We should help poor...

Definition of "Liberal"...

Gayle, it really doesn't matter what you call us, or what we call each other. I do note that you avoided the term "Socialist Puke". You only need to recognize that there are many positions along the political spectrum between Libertarianism and complete ownership of capital by the state.

As to the recent financial intervention, I would agree, that was not a "little tending". I would call it intensive care that became necessary because we (all of us) failed to do the tending that could have prevented the need.

An example of tending would be better inspection of the food industry to prevent "peanut-butter incidents".

Regards

It's not clear to me if you are making a distinction between "Liberal" and "Socialist Puke". Your description is so specific that I can only assume that you have you never met a Liberal (or "Socialist Puke") making 6 figures who has worked 50+ hours a week for decades.

You're reading a message from one now.

My comfortable living conditions (even over the last decade) have been one incentive for me to work hard all these years.

Another incentive for working hard has been that I've always enjoyed building things and watching other people use them... A sort of Rand-like satisfaction in seeing my ideas materialized as something that benefits my countryfolk.

What distinguishes me as a Liberal is my conviction...

And I am very worried about our direction.

I worry about the deterioration of civility (from every direction) as a threat to our nation more than healthcare policy.

As to God, I consider myself unqualified to have an opinion. I do observe that "something" seems persistent in attempting to motivate what I think of as our better nature.

Regards

On Liberal sites, I'm called a "Freeper" because I don't agree with the whole religion.

After about 60 years, I've been called just about everything. It doesn't matter anymore.

There are more Liberals and Moderates interested in hearing a good argument than some Conservatives here would think. Reagan's genius was in recognizing that. Remember him challenging us with a smile instead of a snarl?

Reagan considered AuH2O a mentor, but Barry never quite got the hang of selling the vision.

I just read Reagan's Shining City Upon a Hill speech again. It still resonates, doesn't it? If the Conservative movement can harness that power without the broad-brush Limbaugh/Coulter approach, the Democrats will have a...

There are many Democrats looking to purge their party of DINOS.

You'll find them on moveon.org.

Think that will work for them?

I hope to see good ideas from you in the "ring".

Regards

I think there should be no congressional exemption from this plan. Congress should be forced to eat it's own dog food.

There seem to be two kinds of Liberals that post here:

1. Liberals looking to throw mud. Kind of like some of the conservatives that post on guardian.co.uk.

2. Liberals that take the "Join the Debate!" headline in large letters at the top of these comments at face value.

Your assertion about what Liberals believe is wrong. It doesn't describe me or most of the Liberals I know. Maybe you hang out with the wrong Liberals.

8-)