You are so right . They needed a collection mechanism to loot.
I know checks and balances have been disappearing in my lifetime. Michael what was used to dismantle checks and balance system?

I imagine. That the Supporters of these people brush off the felonious behavior because the "lifted items " were returned . Can a bank robber get off Scott free if when caught just returns the money?

I remembered being angry when the news would show his blustery BS crap. He would lecture bankers from his bench about how evil they were because they were so mean to people with no SSN, or no job. He did do that and was a moron to boot.

I believe it was true, and then returned when caught.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Story?...

http://articles.latimes.com/2001/feb/...

http://www.nytimes.com/2001/02/06/us/...

Of course, the china part has been said to be untrue, but the furniture thing appears to be true.

Reports indicate the Clinton's were criticized for taking $190.000.00 in China and furniture from the White House.

She should ------- on all the pie they are taking.

Thanks Nickursis for your historical perspective of events leading up to the housing crisis. I do recall some pressure through lawsuits on banks and mortgage cos to not discriminate as not enough mortgages to low income folks.

Your post regarding
Oregon's minimum wage increase which will result in more dependence on govt. as the unemployed ranks swell.
FelixO'Riley said below
"The welfare system is slavery as it forces people to vote for food"

"Recall Mama Obama ranting during the campaign that “some folks are going to have to give-up some of their pie so that others can have some?” Neither she nor the multitudes like her understand the basics of Economics 101. Our economy is not a zero-sum game.":

It's my fu@$ng pie! Not yours. Go give them your pie. I hate people who think whats mine is theirs and what theirs is theirs. Oh, I just described a politician...

Well as I understand it, it went both ways. Barney Frank as the head Dumbocrap on the Finance Committee:

Frank was criticized by conservative organizations for campaign contributions totaling $42,350 between 1989 and 2008. Bill Sammon, the Washington managing editor for Fox News Channel, claimed the donations from Fannie and Freddie influenced his support of their lending programs, and said that Frank did not play a strong enough role in reforming the institutions in the years leading up to the Economic crisis of 2008.[50] In 2006, a Fannie Mae representative stated in SEC filings that they "did not participate in large amounts of these non-traditional mortgages in 2004 and 2005."[51] In response to criticism, Frank said, "In 2004, it was Bush who started to push Fannie and Freddie into subprime mortgages, because they were boasting about how they were expanding homeownership for low-income people. And I said at the time, 'Hey—(a) this is going to jeopardize their profitability, but (b) it's going to put people in homes they can't afford, and they're gonna lose them.'"[10]

In 2009 Frank responded to what he called "wholly inaccurate efforts by Republicans to blame Democrats, and [me] in particular" for the subprime mortgage crisis, which is linked to the financial crisis of 2007–2009.[52] He outlined his efforts to reform these institutions and add regulations, but met resistance from Republicans, with the main exception being a bill with Republican Mike Oxley that died because of opposition from President Bush.[52] The 2005 bill included Frank objectives, which were to impose tighter regulation of Fannie and Freddie and new funds for rental housing. Frank and Mike Oxley achieved broad bipartisan support for the bill in the Financial Services Committee, and it passed the House. But the Senate never voted on the measure, in part because President Bush was likely to veto it. "If it had passed, that would have been one of the ways we could have reined in the bowling ball going downhill called housing," Oxley told Frank. In an op-ed piece in the Wall Street Journal, Lawrence B. Lindsey, a former economic adviser to President George W. Bush, wrote that Frank "is the only politician I know who has argued that we needed tighter rules that intentionally produce fewer homeowners and more renters."[10] Once control shifted to the Democrats, Frank was able to help guide both the Federal Housing Reform Act (H.R. 1427) and the Mortgage Reform and Anti-Predatory Lending Act (H.R. 3915) to passage in 2007.[52] Frank also said that the Republican-led Gramm–Leach–Bliley Act of 1999, which repealed part of the Glass–Steagall Act of 1933 and removed the wall between commercial and investment banks, contributed to the financial meltdown.[52] Frank stated further that "during twelve years of Republican rule no reform was adopted regarding Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. In 2007, a few months after I became the Chairman, the House passed a strong reform bill; we sought to get the [Bush] administration's approval to include it in the economic stimulus legislation in January 2008; and finally got it passed and onto President Bush's desk in July 2008. Moreover, "we were able to adopt it in nineteen months, and we could have done it much quicker if the [Bush] administration had cooperated."[citation needed]

he pushed them to give mortgages to unemployed, illegal immigrants, and was the one who pushed the "no SSN needed for mortgage" program. The bankers, seeing a huge amount of loan origination fees and loans backed by the gov't, went for the ride. Got huge bonuses, and proms and all, for riding the tiger. Then, the looters paid for their social program by just bowing a whole bunch of funny money by cooking the books, making huge loans and forgiveness, etc. The periphery was all the other finance houses and businesses had to bailed out, as they took their corporate money and bought in on a sure thing. More gov't bailouts. And lots of he said/she said finger pointing by both sides. Net result: another trillion in debt, and no one to blame.
Minimum wage is the same thing, see my post on Oregon's insanity, where they couldn't wait to save the people (and get their votes) by raising it, with no research, no thought, no nothing. Now their own researchers say that Oregon will lose a huge amount of jobs, and thousands of businesses will go under, and all fast food will be automated. Those voters will not have any jobs, and be vassals of the state,and of course, no one will be blamed. This is the insanity we call "freedom" and "democracy". Bah...

Thanks for that. I have heard that bad things come in Threes. Don't believe it but in this case, yes.

ODD money indeed. Obama takes credit for anything positive that happens in the economy
when most all his policy's are anti-economic. His concern for retirees military and civilians is woeful.

Yes, indeed, the RINO's are very culpable and are a large part of the ruling class.

we do the best that we can....... Thanks. -- j
.

I have lost patience and have concluded that the RINO'S are complicite as well. The 2party system is now one , both leftist one group more truthful about their destructive plans that the other.

Thank you Suzanne43 for your thoughts.
If I may, my conclusion drawn from observation of the "public servants" actions or inactions have the RINO's culpable as well.

To clarify I think that a person who has gained experience and is more productive due to that experience and who has been rewarded for those efforts by annual pay increases say from $9 to $15 over 5 to 10 year employment will not continue to receive raises as he would with out the looters interference.

John , I applaud your long term efforts to be a valued individual seeking independence.
We live and love life and value the freedom to pursue or Attain what we want and need to promote our well being and our families .
That is an effort due to govt. looters. I will be happy to exert the effort till the end.
Everyone else can choose their own path just don't interfere with mine.

Thanks DeanStriker I am in agreement with you.