It's interesting:

http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/3640269/

"The $700 billion plan deserved to fail," said Campbell Harvey, a professor of finance at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business.

The bill would have given the treasury secretary wide authority to buy up bad assets, including mortgages, from financial institutions.

Harvey said that plan asked taxpayers to spend too much on what he called "toxic assets."

"I can understand that this is a nauseating proposition for the American people," Harvey said.

Instead, he proposed that the government get a better bargain and use the investment to make more loans available to smaller businesses. "Toxic assets" would be bought for lower prices, used to fund loans to businesses and kept for three or five years, assuming a market recovery.

"At these prices, financial firms would be pleased to sell – and the taxpayers would get to buy at a price where we can make a positive return," Harvey asid. "Small and medium businesses are the driver of growth in our economy."

Another problem with Congress' plan, Harvey said, was that it would have taken months to implement and been administered by asset managerswith a conflict of interest.

Lawmakers need to be looking ahead, the professor said – and preparing to handle as many a 1,000 more bank collapse. Such actions should have been taken more than a year ago.

"The for action was back the, but you let this thing fester, and this is what you get," Harvey said.

Despite past mistakes, Congress needs to be taking the "proactive" approach that his plan urges, Harvey said.

"You risk a deep recession, and nobody wants that," he said



This interview with Newt is concerning:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=94900671&ft=1&f=1001

And this article from lawmakers:

http://www.voanews.com/english/2008-09-29-voa47.cfm


Here is a text draft:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/21/business/21draftcnd.html

And more additions to the plan that came later:

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/sep/23/student-car-debt-quietly-added/

I don't think anyone really knows right now what congress is even voting on!