Wow! Sentiment is running high against bailouts. Other readers have made similar comments, and no one has spoken up in favor, at least not in my posts. You mention predatory lenders who take advantage of old people. What about, for example, buyers for whom English is not a first language, who don't understand the system very well and who are taken advantage of by mortgage brokers? Don't they deserve a break?

I agree with Slappy -- everyone is to blame. But ultimately, individuals should take responsibility for their financial decisions. This is different from the predatory lenders who take advantage of old people.

I'd like to know exactly what percent of these foreclosures were people who planned to flip their houses. Anyone planning to live in the house for five or 10 years should have had a plan for paying the mortgage when it went up.

And I definitely don't want any of my tax dollars to go to help people in foreclosure, for that reason.

Slappy, could you say a little more about the repackaging of mortgages? I think I know what you're referring to, but was wondering if you could expand on that a little. Do you mean selling mortgages on the secondary market?

I say all three are to blame...between the Ponzi scheme of repackaging mortgages to realtors with no fiduciary responsibility to greedy buyers (and ignorance = greed), they all should share the blame and take it in the shorts.

No bailouts of any kind what so ever.