No blank check for wall street

[Ladywriter 7,783]

Last week Wall Street's risky schemes collapsed, threatening global meltdown -- the next 48 hours could be even more important, deciding America's financial fate for decades to come. Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson, a former investment banker, is strong-arming Congress for $700,000,000,000 of our money to bail out the financiers who created this mess.[1] That's $700 billion, roughly what the war in Iraq has cost; and without oversight, safeguards and help for ordinary struggling Americans, the consequences could be as dire.[2]

Congressional leaders are in a race against time, and wavering. Some, like Senator Chris Dodd, have started drafting better proposals -- making those who created this crisis on Wall Street bear more of the cost and share any benefits, creating safety nets for Main Street, and introducing regulation to stop a repeat of this catastrophe.[3] There’s no shortage of decent solutions, but with the markets yo-yoing and Paulson pushing for a deal in days, Congress looks all too likely to accept the bulk of what experts are now calling a "financial coup d’etat" -- unless the American people speak up loud, clear and fast.[4] Follow the link below now to send a message to your own representatives:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/wall_street_bailout

Regardless of who becomes the next President, the rescue package we pass now will fundamentally change our national and personal finances, shaping our future for years to come. Will we fix this broken system now while we have the chance, or simply hand the financiers $2000 for every man, woman and child in the USA -- trusting them to clean up their own mess, socialising the costs and privatising the profits once again?

Both Democrats and Republicans are poised on the edge of an unprecedented decision; at this moment, our voices could make all the difference. As Americans, we need urgently to stop our leaders from surrendering to events and inspire them to choose the right course. If we fail, we, our families, and people all around the world will suffer the consequences. So let's ask our representatives to stand up for the public good and chart a decent course out of this crisis today, using the tool at this link:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/wall_street_bailout

With hope and determination,

Ben, Paul, Graziela, Ricken, Brett, Iain and the whole Avaaz team

[Myk JL 1,731]

I signed it.