What I don't hear anyone addressing is the talk of cutting Social Security and Medicare. I am 69 years old. My only income is Social Security, and i am NOT getting the maximum payment. If Social Security and Medicare is pulled out from under me, and seniors like me, we will end up homeless and without medical care. Why is no one addresseing that? I don't begrudge any person who has worked hard and been able to save for their old age. What I do begrudge is all the tax loopholes and cuts that are being left alone, while the balancing of the budget is coming on the backs of seniors like me. What provisions can be made for us if our only sources are going to be taken away?

I do not believe the blame lies with Timothy Geithner. The blame belongs to several. Maybe the last administration for running up the deficit.. the last 2 congresses for their inability to do their jobs, and the Tea Party for not understanding the word "Compromise" and holding America hostage for the belief of a SMALL few.

Val, I couldn't agree with you more! I had the same thing happen to me, lost my 401k and kids college funds. My job was outsourced to China, so back to school I go. They do need to make the TOP 1% pay their fair share, and close the loopholes. All these parties worry about is the next election! Its time they start worrying about everyday Americans or we'll take care of those elections for them! :) I really like how some of the Presidential candidates talk that cry about entitlements, and taxes, but take 80k a year in farm subsidies? I think they all are clueless.

You old farts (I am one also) have to stop crying and telling our children and grandchildren to cover us for our poor retirement planning. You people are not the solution, you are a major part of the problem. From most of the comments, it seems you just got back from the "Whiners Are Us" meeting. If you need help, go to your family or your church. Who do you think will be creating new jobs and thus more social security taxes in the future. The corporations pay too much now.

It is NOT the current administration's and current wall street's Bulbus Butt Heads entirely - For They Know Not What They Do... The real robbers got away; those responsible for YOUR dilemma today. Leaders from past multipal years made decissions effecting programs of trade and spending which resulted in building our coffin. The current admin and organizations above wall street nailed it. The real robbers of the past multipal years should be stripped of ALL their assets, placed in solitary confinment one year - before being hung or shot. When will the majority demand "we've had enough" stealing our money by government and wall street controllers.

Yeah Moodys, S&P those geniuses who said right up to the day bankruptcy was filed that Enron was AAA rated. It doesn't matter what they say, they're being paid to say it!!!! What you need to do is see who's paying. Three things need to happen:
1) The rich whose wealth was accumulated because of the opportunities granted them by America, MUST return the favor! Stop trying to **** us and use us ( the working people) for personal gain. They only hurt themselves in the long run by sucking all the profits out of America, cutting education and services, reducing the economic base and skipping out on taxes.
Who will they sell to when there are nothing but stupid, poor, undernourished people to purchase their products? India? China? South America? No help there either.
2) STOP trying to pay for multiple wars with no point and no end in sight! I don't care whose party or PAC benefits from the dollars spent, it cannot be maintained. EVERYONE needs to tighten their belts and cut back, and that includes the military industrial complex.
3) Support the citizenry! We the people will support you if you support us. Fully fund education, public works, fire, emt, hospitals, police, etc. The country will benefit from it, it has been proven. There is no reason to keep piling on higher and higher taxes on those at the bottom to keep up the programs that help them. You only need to cut waste, and fraud, and be reasonable. Trustees and tenured professors of the vaunted UC system have NO BUSINESS collecting half a million dollars a year, while the students they teach go into debt for 3 times that much to attend their classes. This is only one example of the stupidity that is rampant.

Lets' face it, Robin Leach was an asshat. Not everyone can be super wealthy, and we should not try to be so at the expense of the rest of the world.

There is a reason the rest of us are required to use GAAP. These Fianancial Accounting Standards make everyone report by the same rules no matter how unflattering it is to the financial picuture you want to present. I doubt that any licensed auditor would attest to the truth of anything that comes out of the Government accounting system. Shouldn't they be the ones setting the example?

Dude,

I am a baby boomer and I did NOT start two wars of choice to fund random corporations and already wealthy asshats. It was the WW1 and WW2 generation that still run things, who think war is good for the country and you have to do your part and give up your life for AMERICA (anthem here) while stripping our country of all the materials, resources and cash they can get their hands on. If it was their sons and daughters who had to die, it wouldn't happen, which is why GW Bush was an awol draft dodger, and we don't have a draft any more.