Originally Posted by
YardleyLabs
None of which had much to do with our economic collapse. The mortgage crisis was not brought on by new home buyers -- qualified or not -- or by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Our current collapse started with the unfunded Bush tax cuts, combined with massive growth in spending, primarily for an unfunded war, and an economic boom that did little or nothing to help the majority of the population.
The regulatory breakdown had nothing to do with CRA or, for that matter, mortgages issued prior to 2001. It had everything to do with high risk, unregulated investment instruments used to "spread" risks, unreasonably low interest rates, and a massive current accounts imbalance. In any event, the record on regulation of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is pretty mixed and the Republicans only look good on conservative blogs which pick and choose the few facts they publish to reinvent history. I believe the regulatory failure belongs to both sides, but the massive growth in the deficit belonged to Bush.
Obama is now going to add to the deficit, which at least makes sense during a recession/depression. However, his current budget plans call for continuing large deficits even after the economy begins to grow at a hoped for 4%. That, if done, would be as stupid as what Bush did and lay the foundation for a further economic reversal a few years later. During times of growth, large deficits are insane. It makes no difference whether they result from tax cuts, spending, or both.