The Barney Rule, Fairness, Economic Justice, and You

[WhiskeyGirl]

Frank answers critics
Posted by Foon Rhee, deputy national political editor September 2, 2009 11:01 AM

...Representative Barney Frank acknowledges that he breaks his own rule.

"The rule I mean says that when established elected officials should ignore criticism, especially when it is inaccurate, because that might lend it credibility," the Newton Democrat writes. "But this, I believe, denies voters the full discussion of issues to which they are entitled."

Dining room table?  First Amendment?

Conservative commentators...and websites have claimed that Frank and other Democrats caused the mortgage and banking crisis by pushing banks during the 1990s to make loans to low-income communities and by blocking reforms to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Frank, now the chairman of House Financial Services Committee, says critics have "completely distorted my record and sought to place blame on those of us working to put more fairness into our economic system."

"They conveniently ignore that from 1995 until 2007, I was a member of the minority of the House," he continues. "I am flattered that during that period, when Newt Gingrich and Tom Delay ran the House, some think I had some form of secret power over them, which is nonsense."

In all fairness to Mr. Frank, who profited by all those loans that took down the financial system, Freddie and Fannie?

Are those communities better off due to Barney's sense of economic fairness and justice?  It's implementation?

How many have lost their homes, savings, retirement, jobs due to the financial meltdown?   Anyone in Congress or the White House care about these people?

Now, as the Globe reported last week, he is working on a complex bill to give the government more control over the country's financial institutions.

Yea!!!  More economic fairness..

http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2009/09/frank_answers_c.html