The only actual socialist in Congress (despite the ravings of people like Oregon Sen. Gordon Smith), Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders has a petition out calling for strictures on the Wall Street bailout plan. It’s primary points include:
- A five-year, 10% surtax on income over $500,000 per person;
- Safeguards to make sure bank assets are realistically appraised;
- Taxpayer equity in bailed-out companies;
- A general economic recovery package focused on rebuilding infrastructure and renewable energy development;
- Repeal of the banking and investment deregulation that led to the current crisis;
- Breakup of companies that are “too big to fail” so that failing companies don’t need to be bailed out in the future.
Keep trying, the server’s kind of busy.