Ben Stein: "Bailing Yourself Out"

Yahoo! Finance ^ | 2 Mar 09 | Ben Stein

[seanmerc]

Here is some good news and some bad news. I'll give you the bad news first.

I was on a panel of smart, pleasant men and women last week, discussing the economy and, in particular, how it is affecting people selling vehicles with tires and wheels. I told the audience that the Federal Reserve, which has unlimited power to print money, had a program called the Term Asset Backed Lending Facility (TALF) that would help dealers restock their showrooms. I said I knew it hadn't started yet but I thought it would start soon.

A gentleman on the panel -- an intelligent, articulate, honest young man -- said that, as a Fed employee himself, he knew the Fed was straining every nerve to get the TALF started. He said they are pulling people off their trucks who used to work on delivering cash to banks. That's how hard they are working.

Friends and Internet neighbors, I felt like weeping. As I said to this man, "I know this isn't your fault. But the Fed has an unlimited budget. They could hire some of the tens of thousands of young bankers recently laid off on Wall Street to get this program started. It needs to be started YESTERDAY! Why aren't they getting professional bankers instead of people who work in trucking to do this?"

[SNIP]

Get to work.

[seanmerc]

Another Ben Stein gem!

[ari-freedom]

“Why aren’t they getting professional bankers instead of people who work in trucking to do this?”

because of ‘fairness’

[TCats]

Actually, the Trucker might do a better job than some of their so-called ‘Experts’. A twist on the old Monkey v Stockbroker where the Monkey throws darts at a list of Stocks and outperforms the carefully selected list from the Stockbroker.

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

Truckers know they might not walk away from a crash. Bankers seem to think there’s always a reset code.

[RobRoy]

Ben should change his name to Dagney Taggert.

[keepitreal]

Stein spent the entire fall talking down McCain - and now he’s shocked by Obama’s inability to get the job done?

[Ancesthntr]

Truckers know they might not walk away from a crash. Bankers seem to think there’s always a reset code.

Thing is, there IS a reset code. The bankers just don't know it, but the truckers do: Code .308. Brought to you from the people who brought you Rule .308.

The problem is that the dumbass bankers think that it is easy to push the reset button and fix everything (with themselves getting hideously wealthy in the process, at our expense). Those with common sense and a tiny sense of history understand that the wheels are coming off.

[Old Sarge]

"Wow..."

[Cindy]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/2136635/posts

“Are you looking for a job?”

Note: This thread is updated on a regular basis.

[BipolarBob]

“Bueller?”

[databoss]

bankers aren’t out of work Teamsters - Ben, for God’s sake didn’t you get the daily talking points

[Mr. Peabody]

Why should there be a TALF to help dealers restock their showrooms? What am I missing here?

[BillyBoy]

>> Stein spent the entire fall talking down McCain - and now he’s shocked by Obama’s inability to get the job done? <<

Bingo. Stein was bashing Sarah Palin last year (I think he said McCain picked the worst possible running mate), singing Obama's praises, and heaping praise on Al Franken. Not only did he endorse the unhinged drug addict Franken, he put his money where his mouth was and donated the maximum amount possible to him.

NOW he's concerned about the socialists running things? You helped put them in charge, Ben. You're getting what you asked for.

I've written off Ben Stein and believe he's drifted over to the dark side, until the day he sees the light and admits he was dead wrong on his candidate choices in 2008.