Where's outrage over Fannie, Freddie?

It's now been a couple weeks since an article appeared in the Daily Herald about millions of dollars of bonuses to be paid out by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. After the article appeared, I waited for the expected storm of public criticism and condemnation by Congress that was leveled at AIG.

I am absolutely stunned by the nonresponse. The government bailout of AIG is a drop in the bucket compared to what these two organizations have cost taxpayers. Not only is there the cost of the government takeover, there is the fact that these two controlled the mortgage market, forcing all other mortgage companies to follow their lead. Yes, the current economic mess is the direct responsibility of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae and the Clinton administration, which removed them from their government supervision.

So, now they need to pay out millions of our dollars in bonuses to those responsible in order to keep experienced people from leaving? Let them leave!

We don't need that kind of experience. And let them go out on the job market and find a better position. It should be educational for them to see what is not out there, and then they can look in the mirror for the reason why.

All those in Congress who wanted to break out the torches and pitchforks for AIG are way overdue to knock off the hypocrisy and go after the leaders of this economic mess with the same fervor they have had for AIG, Citi, GM and everybody else who would not be in this current mess if not for the conduct of these behemoths who appear to be above Democratic criticism.

Jim Scanlan

Wheeling