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[ZoddGutts]

This is what happens when you vote for a Socialist President!

 

[ClovingWestbrook]

Yes it is. Voting for someone you don't really want is a disingenuous vote. It's a waste of a vote and an endorsement of a broken system.

Really? Tell the people who've received health care coverage thanks to the health care reform law who otherwise wouldn't be covered due to preexisting conditions that Obama didn't help them. Tell the soldiers who are able to serve openly without having to worry about being discharged if someone finds out they're gay that Obama didn't help them. Tell the students who are still able to stay on their parents health care that Obama didn't help them. You're choosing to throw away the baby with the bathwater instead of bring pressure onto the candidates to do what you want. I.E., SOPA/PIPA.

 

[I H8 Memes]

Cant wait to hear his press conference for this.

 

[JABEE]

I want all of my loans annulled, now

Too bad you don't bankroll a campaign. That bribe money would really come in handy.

 

[Devolution]

Gotta dance with the ones that brung ya.

 

[Salvor.Hardin]

The only thing worse than voting Republican is not voting at all (or voting 3rd party). Voter Apathy is not the solution and anyone who thinks so is a complete tool.

You're wrong. It's representative democracy. The system is set up such that a majority vote entitles the President to set whatever agenda he likes, and if that's against the people but not against the interests of Congress, then that agenda gets passed.

Abstaining from voting slowly strips that entitlement away from the President. If for example, a large group of Democrats decided not to cast a vote, the Democratic party would very quickly understand that there's a problem and would be quick to try to fix it. This way, you don't have the internal grief of having voted in a Republican, nor do you have to put up with shit from the Democrats.

I for one would not want to live with the fact that I helped elect someone who didn't respect my vote or my rights in general. But I suppose others might be more comfortable with that than I.

 

[BobsRevenge]

This guy does want to be re-elected, right? If he shuns his base, he's not going to find votes with Republicans, ever.

He'll find votes with ad money from banks who think it is in their best interest to put money in his campaign.

:\

edit:

Disgraceful. Even if you accept the idea of a settlement in lieu of criminal prosecution, which I don't, the amount they're being asked to pay is a fucking pittance by any metric.

Seriously. Sucks.

 

[Door2Dawn]

Yeah, because these banks were going to get prosecuted in the first place. Shitty settlement is shitty, but make no mistake the banks have already gotten away with it long before this.

 

[Dreams-Visions]

feels bad, man.

 

[heliosRAzi]

People will call your apathy stupid but you really are correct man. It's like that Southpark episode, Shit Sandwich or (what was the other option? lol).

To clarify, I will be voting, because voting for local elections is important. I just won't be voting for president. Definitely won't be voting for Republican. I can't vote for Obama in good conscious. And the only third party we have in Texas are the Libertarians. Oh yeah, I can't write in a person because it would literally be thrown out.

The system is fucked up.

 

[outunderthestars]

Feel free to vote, I might. Point is nothing is going to change with these banks, presidents don't have the power to just magically fix everything. Money talks bullshit walks

Not always true. Obama basically kicked the banks out of the student loan game.

Took the billions in government backed profits that students were paying to the banks, redirected to a government program that will then use the proceeds to offer more loans and increased pell grants.

 

[Kinyou]

Just realized how devastating this must be for the Occupy WallStreet guys

 

[JABEE]

Really? Tell the people who've received health care coverage thanks to the health care reform law who otherwise wouldn't be covered due to preexisting conditions that Obama didn't help them. Tell the soldiers who are able to serve openly without having to worry about being discharged if someone finds out they're gay that Obama didn't help them. Tell the students who are still able to stay on their parents health care that Obama didn't help them. You're choosing to throw away the baby with the bathwater instead of bring pressure onto the candidates to do what you want. I.E., SOPA/PIPA.

Keep voting for Presidents that think taxing the rich less is okay because that's what the people want. Stripping away civil liberties is great. Hey, they tossed us a few bones that shouldn't have even been an argument to begin with. Maybe the government should work to protect the public good, rather than their corporate donors and public image. I'd rather we not vote in the devil we know. How about we don't vote for the devil or bad choice at all?

 

[BobsRevenge]

Yeah, because these banks were going to get prosecuted in the first place. Shitty settlement is shitty, but make no mistake the banks have already gotten away with it long before this.

Shit was getting stirred. Something probably would've happened. Hopefully the settlement includes some language on treating creditors fairly and not shitting on them because you can.

sigh

 

[lenovox1]

The Nation - Obama Is on the Brink of a Settlement With the Big Banks—and Progressives Are Furious

Searched and didn't find anything. Sock if mold

The settlement only applies to privately-backed mortgages, it includes provisions for people who are currently under foreclosure to refinance, and it has to be approved by state officials first.

Unfortunately, the 750,000 people that were kicked out of their homes will likely only get about $1,800.

 

[Riggs]

Seriously suggest you guy's watch Thrive. I'd buy you all a copy if I could. Documentary describes what is going on with the banking system so much better then I can.

 

[Javaman]

About $17 billion would be used to reduce the principal that some struggling homeowners owe,

That's some grade A bullshit there too.

 

[ClovingWestbrook]

Keep voting for Presidents that think taxing the rich less is okay because that's what the people want. Stripping away civil liberties is great. Hey, they tossed us a few bones that shouldn't have even been an argument to begin with. Maybe the government should work to protect the public good, rather than their corporate donors and public image. I'd rather we not vote in the devil we know. How about we don't vote for the devil or bad choice at all?

So again, the people who do vote will decide who wins. Congrats. If you want another 8+ years of George Bush, more wars, more tax cuts that aren't paid for, more clamp downs on gay rights, womens rights, education, health care quality, etc. have at it. I'd prefer to vote for the candidates that I believe will do some good than to let the candidates I know will do more harm than good win by default.

 

[outunderthestars]

The settlement only applies to privately-backed mortgages, it includes provisions for people who are currently under foreclosure to refinance, and it has to be approved by state officials first.

Unfortunately, the 750,000 people that were kicked out of their homes will likely only get about $1,800.

I still don't know why I am supposed to feel pity on the people who got a loan and didn't pay it back or for the banks that loaned out the money to such untrustworthy/capable people in the first place.

That's some grade A bullshit there too.

Yea, where do I file to get free money to reward me for not paying my bills?

 

[soundahfekz]

What the fuck Bams

There needs to be an investigation of the banks, not some measly 25b settlement.

 

[Riggs]

So again, the people who do vote will decide who wins. Congrats. If you want another 8+ years of George Bush, more wars, more tax cuts that aren't paid for, more clamp downs on gay rights, womens rights, education, health care quality, etc. have at it. I'd prefer to vote for the candidates that I believe will do some good than to let the candidates I know will do more harm than good win by default.

Not sure why this thread has turned into "To vote, or not to vote"

Yes I agree personally Obama administration is preferable over GW or anything the GOP base has to offer. That aside, the underlying problems are still here presently. We should be discussing the root of the cause, not if we should vote or not. Voting for Obama gave the things you listed, which are great! But the banks and corporations have far to much power, especially the big central banks and the family's that run them.

Until we start addressing these things as a nation , nothing will change imo.

 

[perfectnight]

You're wrong. It's representative democracy. The system is set up such that a majority vote entitles the President to set whatever agenda he likes, and if that's against the people but not against the interests of Congress, then that agenda gets passed.

Abstaining from voting slowly strips that entitlement away from the President. If for example, a large group of Democrats decided not to cast a vote, the Democratic party would very quickly understand that there's a problem and would be quick to try to fix it. This way, you don't have the internal grief of having voted in a Republican, nor do you have to put up with shit from the Democrats.

I for one would like not want to live with the fact that I helped elect someone who didn't respect my vote or my rights in general. But I suppose others might be more comfortable with that than I.

So you see nothing wrong with being a useless defeatist because it's hard to change the system. If everyone stayed home because things seemed fucked up beyond fixing we would still be stuck in a segregated America. Thankfully there are people out there who agree that talking with reps, participating in protests and other movements are several ways of trying to get our voices heard. Hope you don't got kids.

 

[ClovingWestbrook]

I still don't know why I am supposed to feel pity on the people who got a loan and didn't pay it back or for the banks that loaned out the money to such untrustworthy/capable people in the first place.





Yea, where do I file to get free money to reward me for not paying my bills?

Smh.

 

[antonz]

So again, the people who do vote will decide who wins. Congrats. If you want another 8+ years of George Bush, more wars, more tax cuts that aren't paid for, more clamp downs on gay rights, womens rights, education, health care quality, etc. have at it. I'd prefer to vote for the candidates that I believe will do some good than to let the candidates I know will do more harm than good win by default.

With a Few exceptions Obama has been 4 more years of Bush so far

 

[Vicetrailia]

I still don't know why I am supposed to feel pity on the people who got a loan and didn't pay it back or for the banks that loaned out the money to such untrustworthy/capable people in the first place.





Yea, where do I file to get free money to reward me for not paying my bills?

Because the people were punished for their "mistakes" while the banks got handouts.

 

[JABEE]

So again, the people who do vote will decide who wins. Congrats. If you want another 8+ years of George Bush, more wars, more tax cuts that aren't paid for, more clamp downs on gay rights, womens rights, education, health care quality, etc. have at it. I'd prefer to vote for the candidates that I believe will do some good than to let the candidates I know will do more harm than good win by default.

So you vote with a utilitarian view. If you had only two choices and one was Newt Gingrich and the other was Mitt Romney, who would you vote for? Could you vote for one over the other or would you abstain?

 

[ToxicAdam]

Still better than Bush! (barely)



...


still 5 more years left to hold on to that title.

 

[ProfessorLobo]

Jokes on the banks, he would've settled for a pat on the head.

 

[BobsRevenge]

Not sure why this thread has turned into "To vote, or not to vote"

Yes I agree personally Obama administration is preferable over GW or anything the GOP base has to offer. That aside, the underlying problems are still here presently. We should be discussing the root of the cause, not if we should vote or not. Voting for Obama gave the things you listed, which are great! But the banks and corporations have far to much power, especially the big central banks and the family's that run them.

Until we start addressing these things as a nation , nothing will change imo.

Some congresspeople are working on an amendment to change campaign financing. Hopefully that manages to make it through at some point.

 

[GhaleonEB]

Not unexpected, but disappointing. The scale and impact of the fraud undoubtedly extends far beyond what that $25b will cover, and there will be a total lack of accountability to those who perpetrated the fraud. It will go entirely unpunished.

Things like this are why I remain unethusiastic about this election cycle. I have to choose between someone who engages in this kind of policy, or something even worse.

 

[Mudkips]

I still don't know why I am supposed to feel pity on the people who got a loan and didn't pay it back or for the banks that loaned out the money to such untrustworthy/capable people in the first place.





Yea, where do I file to get free money to reward me for not paying my bills?

What are you talking about? This is for mortgage fraud - kicking people out of their house illegally, with more than a few cases where there was no mortgage at all.

 

[lenovox1]

I still don't know why I am supposed to feel pity on the people who got a loan and didn't pay it back or for the banks that loaned out the money to such untrustworthy/capable people in the first place.

Whoops, I forgot the most important part. Those 750,000 were allegedly forclosed upon illegally. It's okay to take people out of their homes if they don't pay their bills; the banks should just make sure they're following the law before they do it.

 

[Kaako]

Sigh...don't really have much more to add than that.

 

[jchap]

Uhh... I know we all love to jump on the pile but if he finds a way to get a ton of people who are underwater on their mortgages back into a reasonable position and does it without using tax dollars, he will win the election in a landslide.

I don't have a huge problem with this.

 

[outunderthestars]

Because the people were punished for their "mistakes" (even if the banks were responsible via creating job losses) while the banks got handouts.

So the solution is give everyone handouts?

Also, was't the vast majority of TARP loans and not handouts?

 

[ClovingWestbrook]

So you vote with a utilitarian view. If you had only two choices and one was Newt Gingrich and the other was Mitt Romney, who would you vote for? Could you vote for one over the other or would you abstain?

I'd vote for a third party if there was one that I agreed with more than Newt/Romney. Since there is a candidate that I agree with more than any of the third party candidates and Newt/Mitt, I will vote for him.

 

[Salvor.Hardin]

So you see nothing wrong with being a useless defeatist because it's hard to change the system. If everyone stayed home because things seemed fucked up beyond fixing we would still be stuck in a segregated America. Thankfully there are people out there who agree that talking with reps, participating in protests and other movements are several ways of trying to get our voices heard. Hope you don't got kids.

You do realize that you can protest, talk to your reps and still not vote right?

The only true commodity for a politician is a vote. A sudden windfall of voters who are otherwise active would do a great deal towards changing the government's perceived power and engender a more responsible and intimate standard of governance.

 

[To Far Away Times]

This is not the right solution at all...

 

[GrotesqueBeauty]

So you see nothing wrong with being a useless defeatist because it's hard to change the system. If everyone stayed home because things seemed fucked up beyond fixing we would still be stuck in a segregated America. Thankfully there are people out there who agree that talking with reps, participating in protests and other movements are several ways of trying to get our voices heard. Hope you don't got kids.

Your posts on this subject are fraught with irony. Voting for a 3rd party candidate or abstaining from voting for conscientious reasons means you're a tool or defeatist... but voting out of fear and continually playing into the false dichotomy of a two party system which is controlled on both sides by the same corporate influences doesn't?

 

[outunderthestars]

Whoops, I forgot the most important part. Those 750,000 were allegedly forclosed upon illegally. It's okay to take people out of their homes if they don't pay their bills; the banks should just make sure they're following the law before they do it.

I'd agree with this 100%.

I don't like giving handouts to the banks or to the people who find themselves behind on their mortgage payments. That said, I oppose the amnesty proposal as well.

What are you talking about? This is for mortgage fraud - kicking people out of their house illegally, with more than a few cases where there was no mortgage at all.

According to the article, the money from the settlement would go towards giving money to people behind on their mortgages , and to help them get a lower interest rate than they originally had.

So can I stop paying my mortgage and get some free money too? Why are rewarding poor decision making?

 

[ToxicAdam]

Things like this are why I remain unethusiastic about this election cycle. I have to choose between someone who engages in this kind of policy, or something even worse.

Sometimes I wonder if Obama's position (Democrat) doesn't give him MORE cover to do stuff like this. I can't imagine the outrage if a Republican like Romney attempted something like this.

 

[ClovingWestbrook]

So the solution is give everyone handouts?

Also, was't the vast majority of TARP loans and not handouts?

HAND OUTS? ARE YOU SERIOUS? THESE PEOPLE WERE KICKED OUT OF THEIR HOMES ILLEGALLY.

 

[Wolfe]

Abstaining from voting slowly strips that entitlement away from the President. If for example, a large group of Democrats decided not to cast a vote, the Democratic party would very quickly understand that there's a problem and would be quick to try to fix it. This way, you don't have the internal grief of having voted in a Republican, nor do you have to put up with shit from the Democrats.

Yeah but in that case wouldn't the republicans win, kinda seems like it would negate any impact non voting dems were trying to create...

Then again I'm prolly missing your point or something. Either way to me not voting seems like the worst thing you can do, unless it's just universal voter abstinence that's not tied to either party.

 

[Technosteve]

25 bil is low balling 100 bil shoukd be the number

 

[Something Wicked]

Hmm, $25 billion gained from the banks or spending trillions of dollars trying to convict 100,000s of employees, many of whom do not work at such banks today, over vague "fraud" charges?

Unless you guys want the US to become more akin to Putin's Russia and just pick a couple bank executives for some kangaroo court and use them as scapegoats to quell your populist bloodlust?

Personally, I'm more concerned with our current massive $1.2 trillion deficit, ballooning debt, and pathetic economic growth.

 

[Vicetrailia]

You do realize that you can protest, talk to your reps and still not vote right?

The only true commodity for a politician is a vote. A sudden windfall of voters who are otherwise active would do a great deal towards changing the government's perceived power and engender a more responsible and intimate standard of governance.

Dude you gotta vote because the people who have views opposite of yours will vote.

It's really the most basic thing. I mean what are really working for if you don't vote? Chances are you aren't even trying.

 

[GK86]

Not even surprised anymore.

 

[GrotesqueBeauty]

Sometimes I wonder if Obama's position (Democrat) doesn't give him MORE cover to do stuff like this. I can't imagine the outrage if a Republican like Romney attempted something like this.

I don't even think it's a question. Obama has definitely gotten more cover because of his projected image. Howard Zinn predicted this, actually. The same thing happened with conservative policies during the Clinton era.

 

[Fatghost]

All I know is my bank shares soared today.


I want prices to fall...I want to pick up some more damnit!

 

[Centurion]

I still don't know why I am supposed to feel pity on the people who got a loan and didn't pay it back or for the banks that loaned out the money to such untrustworthy/capable people in the first place.

you should feel pity for the people because a lot of them were duped, with banks giving risky loans that they never should have in the first place. Not including all the illegal foreclosures.

no one is telling you to pity the banks, they're not the ones who got royally fucked over. And this will prevent investigations to see who was responsible, for a measly fine that is a fraction of what should be paid. This is a slap on the wrist, when they should be getting a far more severe punishment to set an example. This just proves to them that an illegal act is worth it, if the pay off is greater than the fines/legal troubles.