Originally Posted by CrAz3D

Insurance premiums would SKYROCKET if all of a sudden the companies collapsed. I bet they'd AT LEAST double to attempt to make up for it.

Originally Posted by bluejay432000

That sounds good in theory, but what happens when you need a doctor? Medicine? Have a car wreck? You've paid your premiums, but your insurance company is out of business. The government is not going to let an insurance company or a bank fail. Always in the past, other insurance companies have stepped in and "bought" the failing company. AIG is too big for a purchase, so to keep from having infrstructure failure, they are making a "loan". It is painful and it is caused by mismanagement, but really, there is no other option if you want the country to not panic.

Originally Posted by CrAz3D

Saving mega huge companies like that DOES help us, indirectly, but it helps. Well, maybe not helps, but it makes it so the US of A doesnt go into "The Great Depression: Part II"

Depends how you define fundamentals. I would think it'd be the basic principles of the economy, and those are strong. It's that we've got greedy little bastards running some things, they need to be shot.

Originally Posted by OgRedd

Good points, but it still pisses me off. Just doesn't seem right when the taxpayer is handed a bunch of receipts after the government determines where the money goes. - Og

Originally Posted by bluejay432000

In my mind, one of the problems is that they have allowed these companies to keep merging and buying out others until they are too big.

Originally Posted by OgRedd

Probably. I just don't understand how they can "find" $85 billion dollars to bail out AIG, Bear Sterns, etc. and can't find squat to help the average American when in crisis. What a load of crap. But I guess "the fundamentals of our economy are strong." Jeezus. - Og

Originally Posted by Grim

It isn't exactly an $85 billion bailout. They basically took over the company and are screwing them to the wall on the interest rate (currently around 14%). In any case, I'm still against it!

Grim

Originally Posted by OgRedd

It would shock the hell out of me if AIG "really" pays that money back. Almost willing to bet, in 2 years when that loan is due, the government will be the new owners of the nation's largest insurer. - Og

Originally Posted by OgRedd

It would shock the hell out of me if AIG "really" pays that money back. Almost willing to bet, in 2 years when that loan is due, the government will be the new owners of the nation's largest insurer. - Og