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Congress along with your president for not taking necessary measures before the debt reached $842 Billion. Yes that's right, $842 Billion.

I find it strange that the Bailout Bill didn't pass at $700 Billion because congress said that that was just too much, yet one week later the real debt amount came to light and the Bill passed for an extra $142 Billion.

We'll never hear the real truth about everything until maybe 30 or 40 years down the line. However, what has been established is that people (mortgage lenders) will only do what their buddys and next door neighbors (Republicans currently holding office and authority) allow them to do.

There were many contributing factors. It is a fact that the Clinton Administration pushed Fannie Mae into accepting "more risks", this is only part of the meltdown. The credit crisses coupled with astronimical fuel cost (Courtesy of the Bush Administration) has landed us in these dire straights. The real culprit is not congress, or a presidential administration...it is the greed of the people. If one can not afford a home, they should not purchase one...and if someone knows a person they are lending the money to will not be able to afford the payments, they should not lend money.

All in all, irresponsible people are the ones who will get bailed out by responsible people.

No the American people are RESPONSIBLE because they keep voting these same people into office. After this campaign is over, I have no doubt that the people in Arizona will vote McCain back in even though he's 72 and senile. Look at Robert Byrd is he 100 yet? I think Strom Thurmond was close to it. And Mitch McConnell and Ted Kennedy and John Kerry are among the worst senators. They are all responsible for the gridlock. Same goes for Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi. Get rid of these people..Just never vote for an incumbent. That's the only way to keep them honest.

Yes. They passed the Clinton law (Repub and Dem). Bush did little to change it for 3 years. However, he did try to address it later but Congress voted down his suggestions. Think how bad Congress must be when even Bush saw this coming?

the economic going under is due to many different things but you have to understand that the higher people in office such as senators and governors were repeatedly warned by others but they didn't listen and bankrupted their states that they resided over by giving bigger loans to people that couldn't afford the payments and now because they didn't listen to the warnings of others, this bailout thing was brought up to get them out of this hole that they dug for themselves and are asking for more money through this bailout because of something they brought upon themselves. so no, it wasn't just congress. it was also the people of the states and our government for allowing this to happen but especially the states that were stupid enough to give these loans to people that didnt' have the money for payments or were just too lazy to even make one payment on them.

Possibly contributed.

Relaxing bank standards approved by both parties of congress and signed by Clinton in the late 1990's allowed investment banks and retail banks to get involved in areas they shouldn't be and are where we are today.

Yes, the Democrats under the "Draft Dodger" Clinton in 1992 were the first to get rid of regulations on buying home, then the GREEDY Republican started getting of all types of Regulation's, so yes all of Congress is to blame.

Carter is at the heart of the matter, signing into law welfare for home-ownership, forcing banks to make risky loans to low income people.

No - It's Republican deregulation that started with Ronald Reagan. That's why I'm voting for Democrats this year.

Everyone is partly responsible, but the main blame could be put on predatory lenders and mortgage companies.