MELISSA BLOCK, host:
Now, one day after the rejection of the financial bailout and the huge drop in the markets, it's time to hear from you. And what we're hearing overwhelmingly is opposition to the $700 billion plan. Peter Baldridge of Sacramento, California felt that Congress got it right when the House voted down the bill.
Mr. PETER BOLDRIDGE (Resident, Sacramento, California): The bill was outrageous and deserved defeat by a far wider margin than occurred but the cries that the defeat represents a failure of leadership could not be further from the truth. Two hundred and twenty-eight heroes, they showed leadership, they were neither bulldozed nor stampeded like their leaders who now run about babbling with terror in their eyes.
BLOCK: Maureen Unger wrote this from Connecticut. Why isn't there talk of cutting off money for the war in Iraq, along with other colossal wastes of money our country is indulged in of late? Big businesses profited handsomely from the war, while our economy and infrastructure suffer. No wonder the average American pales at the idea that those in office must be trusted to come up with good ideas to deal with this crisis. Roger Ashford of Washington D.C. took us to task for calling the economic proposal a bailout.
Mr. ROGER ASHFORD (Resident, Washington D.C.): It was a taxpayer funded guarantee, like co-signing your son's car loan. Given time, it might even turn a profit for the government an taxpayers. Without the bailout, this guarantee, there may be a depression.
BLOCK: Now, from historical precedent to the perspective of family court.
Mr. GEORGE SUTHECATS (Resident, Richland, Washington): The arguments over the bailout remind me of a very acrimonious divorce, where the party who is forced to pay alimony and child support does everything possible to resist, in order to punish the other spouse.
BLOCK: That's George Suthecatas of Richland, Washington.
Mr. SUTHECATAS: The result is that the children, as well as that spouse, end up suffering. The only way to protect the children is to also benefit the custodial parent, as distasteful as that may be. The only thing that gives me hope about this financial crisis is something Winston Churchill said, you can always count on Americans to do the right thing once all other options have been exhausted.
BLOCK: Well, we'd like to know what you think about the current financial situation and how we're covering it, or anything else you hear on our program. You can visit npr.org. Click on contact us at the top of the page. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.