Busted?

When Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson went to Congress to ask for 700 billion to bail out the banks, he didn't have to do much explaining. In fact, there weren't a hell of lot of strings attached.

Well, guess what? Paulson gave 300 billion to the banks -- who are sitting on it, refusing to lend to desperate homeowners, or restructure mortgages or do a lot to get the economy rolling again.

When the automakers, and the union, say that they may go bankrupt, some Republicans in the Senate (and in the House) say...no way can they get a loan -- unless we can break the union.

Personally, I think union folks need to share in the hard times and make major concessions.

But for some ideological neanderthals from the South to use a national crisis to score against a once mighty union is revolting.

Accountability? Of course. Restructuring? Probably. Negotiations about union benefits? You bet. There's lots of pain for everyone.

But what's happening now is that the wealthy are getting bailed -- and the less wealthy are performing the bailing.

Hopefully the brain trust on the Hill will create some kind of agreement that asks everyone to share the pain. To do anything else would be a travesty.