The OP made a statement that Obama is trying to destroy the USA. Therefore, the discussion of the Wall Street meltdown is relevant. In reality it was eight years of Bush43 and Dick Cheney that the USA was almost destroyed.
It's true that Freddie and Fannie were not companies. However, they were not non-profits either, and when they lose money the tax payer loses money.
The concept of TARP started with Bush. Both Bush and Obama made bailout loans. TARP was absolutely necessary. Wall street was allowed to make risky bets that did not pay off. A great depression was right around the corner. The Dodd/Frank bill was put in place to control how much risk Wall Street could take, now the republicans want to re-write it and let Wall Street firms go back to participate in risky bets.
Originally Posted by flghtr65
The meltdown actually started on Clinton's watch, as MoJo said, it takes a few years for certain acts of government to work through the system.
Had Clinton not repealed parts of the Glass Steagall Act, which was the genesis for Banking, Insurance and Securities companies to merge, forming the Gramm Leach Bliley Act. Not solely on Clinton, as it was a bi partisan act, kind of like when we went to war in Iraq, it was bi partisan, oh sorry, I digress. Gramm Leach Bliley also nullified a very crucial banking reform that Roosevelt put into place in the early '30's, which was 20% down and no more that 33% of ones take home pay. Now nullified, everybody and their brother could buy homes with nothing down. Why would anyone sell something to someone who has nothing to lose (no money down) why indeed, they didn't, they just bundle it up and sold the mortgages off to the next investor, they don't own it either, talk about trickle down.
President Bush actually started talking about the housing problems in '01, '03, but good old bully Barney wanted nothing to do with that, everything was fine.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMnSp4qEXNM