Paying for Fear and Greed

Any bailout needs to balance the need to keep the economy afloat with the recognition that evildoers must be punished. (By "evildoers," I mean to say those who did evil.) Much of the financial mess we are in today comes from greed, which is one of the seven deadly sins.

Lenders, with easy money available thanks to the government, exploited the ignorance and greed of many citizens who got in over their heads. These greedy lenders should not get off scot-free, since everyone else is paying for their mistakes. Those who exploited others need to be fired, fined, or put in jail. Without real punishment for excesses, we'll face the same problem all over again.